Cost to recharge an ebike battery.

[theemartymac]

Another very minor factor is figuring in the inefficiency of the charger.
I doubt any charger has an Efficiency Rating about 85%... so add an approximate additional 15% to your batteries wattage.

But on the flip side, we don't run our batteries down 100% either, as the voltage cutoff won't let you, and most folks aim for 25% minimum for lifespan. So that portion of the capacity is never used or replaced, basically equalizing any losses to efficiency on the charging, and/or storage losses.

 

[Gionnirocket]

But on the flip side, we don't run our batteries down 100% either, as the voltage cutoff won't let you, and most folks aim for 25% minimum for lifespan. So that portion of the capacity is never used or replaced, basically equalizing any losses to efficiency on the charging, and/or storage losses.

Very good point as I missed this as did the other examples.
But as you point out, no one charges from 0.
So if you are caring to accurately count these pennies... You'd have to allow for the efficiency loss of the charger after calculating what percentage of battery that you are charging.

 

[Tomster]

Nothing, if I'm going somewhere in my car, a plugin Prius, and recharge using the 400 watt inverter. It works off the 12 VDC accessory battery, which is auto charged by the big traction battery. If it cuts my mileage the amount is so miniscule I can't quantify it.
At home, nothing also, as I charge my bikes off my grid tied hydro electric, wind, and PV systems, which produce in excess of my annual needs.
At work, still nothing! My day job is operating a 30 ton taxi crane service, picking HVAC units, setting trusses, etc., and while I'm working the 425 HP Mack engine doesn't seem to care that I'm running another 400 watt inverter to charge the bike I carry in a custom made tool box. The bike is used as a dingy, while the crane stays set up, I can run to lunch etc., the bike is easier to park.

 

[K PierreR]

Nothing? it sure costs me. Let's see: Expected 900 charges out of a battery and my battery is $1,800. that is $2.00 per charge for depreciation. + 2.5kwh to charge =$.35 = $2.35 per charge at least. I get 120 to 225 miles on a charge depending on how I ride.

 

[Garyy]

The price to charge a battery for an electric bicycle varies on a number of variables, including the battery's capacity, the cost of energy in the area, and how effectively the battery is charged. When electricity rates are lower during off-peak hours, think about charging your electric bike then. Your charge expenses may be reduced as a result.

 

[ChezCheese:)]

Nope, I don't worry about it. My husband is an electrician and he considers even me turning off lights when I leave a room to be an affront to his livelihood. Every ride I take that replaces a car ride is a kindness to the environment, and every ride I take staves off disability and an immobile old age. Priceless, in other words.

 

[circuitsmith]

Years ago a grad student at the university I worked at did a study on lead-acid, nicad, nickle metal hydride, various lithium ion types, factoring in cycle life, cost of electricity, inefficiencies etc.
In all cases the cost of charging electricity over the life of the battery was less than the initial cost of the battery.

 

[smorgasbord]

Most sources quote ranges from about 10 watt-hours to 25 watt-hours per mile. For instance, this.

Let's say 20 watt-hours per mile.
Let's say electricity cost you $0.20 per kilo-watt-hour, which is more than even CA according to this.
Let's say your charger is only 85% efficient.

(20/1,000 * $0.20) / 0.85 = $0.0047 * 100 (cents/dollar) = about half a cent per mile.

To calculate the battery capital cost amortized over the useful life, one first has to define "useful life." Typical numbers are 500 cycles after which you have 80% of the original battery capacity per charge. A "cycle" is defined as a 0% to 100% charge, so charging from 50% to 100% is just a half cycle.

Battery prices vary from cheap no-name to expensive mandated-by-manufacturer European. Skipping Aliexpress, even on Amazon one can buy a 48V 20AH battery (960 watt-hour) in the typical shark shape for $300. A Luna X2 replacement battery (48v 17.5AH, or 840 watt-hour) costs $650. A Bosch Powerpack 500 battery (500 watt-hour) can cost $775. The range per watt-hour, therefore, is from $0.32/wh to $0.77/wh to $1.55/wh.

Let's pick a $0.90/wh and 500 watt-hours of capacity, but you can pick any combo that applies to your situation. The battery would cost $450, and for its 500 cycles that would be 500wh*500 = 250,000wh / 20wh/mile = 12,500 miles. So, $450/12,500 = $0.036/mile, or 3.6 cents/mile.

So, 0.47 cents/mile to charge plus 3.6 cents/mile to buy is just over 4 cents/mile all in, assuming you take the battery to get recycled when you're done and don't find another use for it. Proving @circuitsmith's above statement correct by an order of magnitude.

 

[Gionnirocket]

And all this is without figuring in the wear and tear on your electrical receptacles and the potential cost of having to replace one or at the very least determining it's diminished life span.
Fu©{ all this!!!...
I'm rolling this money pit to the curb for the trash man!

 

[circuitsmith]

Proving @circuitsmith's above statement correct by an order of magnitude.

Nice analysis @smorgasbord
Thinking back on it, that study compared price of electricity vs cost of raw cells.
So yeah, add in cost of battery assembly, BMS (where applicable) and charger; the gap gets bigger.

 

[AvalancheRun]

It took me about 70 watt hours to heat my water kettle. So with a 625 wh battery, assuming generous losses that’s 10 water kettles per full charge of about 40-70 miles. Not bad!

Can anyone even think of a less energy intensive way to travel? I could ride my acoustic bike, but then my rice and bean budget would go up. Not to mention water for additional showers.

 

[pmcdonald]

Can anyone even think of a less energy intensive way to travel? I could ride my acoustic bike, but then my rice and bean budget would go up. Not to mention water for additional showers.

According to the table midway down this page, not much apart from an electric scooter!

 

[mschwett]

Can anyone even think of a less energy intensive way to travel? I could ride my acoustic bike, but then my rice and bean budget would go up. Not to mention water for additional showers.

the bicycle is extraordinarily efficient. more aerodynamic than a scooter, with the option of leg power to provide peaks and allow a smaller, lighter, more efficient electric motor and powertrain, with no drag while unpowered.

on my creo, if i shoot for max range with a completely casual, non-sweaty, conversational pace I put in 100w and the bike puts in 50. average speed on flats is approx 16mph at that low level of output. call it 3 hours for 50 miles. 60w of electrical power for three hours, round up a bit more and call it 200wh. maybe four cents off peak all in in California, charging losses included? less than one tenth a cent worth of electricity per mile. I cannot think of a more energy efficient way to travel than an endurance geometry moderately aero road bike with decent athletic clothing. the embodied energy in making the bike plus the energy embodied in the food for the human part of it will be by far the biggest contributor. powering the human engine from plant based, non-water intensive sources would be key if one really wanted to minimize footprint of long rides.

go to 20mph average and the electrical demand doubles, a whopping 8 to 10 cents for the ride

 

[PSm]

Had anyone out there sat down and figured out what it costs to recharge ebike batteries. Or the cost per mile to ride their machine? Just curious.

Pennies. Almost nothing, and so nothing to worry about

 

[6zfshdb]

Lots of variables involved with the OP's question. The cost to charge and the cost per mile are two different questions.

It costs nothing to recharge my battery when I stay at a hotel or campground. Of course you need to factor in a portion of the cost of the room or campsite and also the battery itself.

 

[scottsdalecommuter]

I consider it essentially free to charge! My work commute is 2,000 miles per year, at 25 mpg and $4 gas that is $320 savings in gas per year. The real savings is we only have one car for a family our four rather than 2 cars! Cars are $ expensive and getting more expensive every year! Plates, insurance, gas, maintenance, etc. I also find a very large mental benefit (hard to calculate in $) of getting 20 minutes before and after my work day to buffer between work/family time which use very different parts of my brain. I haven't found the car-ride commute to provide the same level of mental "reset" since I don't like driving.

 

[harryS]

I stopped at this giant gas station in Pontiac, Illinois. It's so big that they have 30 feet of aisle devoted to packages of beef jerky, and a little vestible where you can buy it by the pound. I quit going inside because the coffee sucks, but the gasoline is always lower than anyone else.
.
Anyway, they also have several car charger e-outlets. I was parked nearby waiting to meet someone, and I heard one car owner exclaim 17 cents a kilowatt as she plugged in her Chevy Bolt. I guess that was cheap?

 

[markarenna]

I think 17 cents a kilowatt is a very good price for electric car charging, especially at a gas station. The national average price for electricity is 13.3 cents per kilowatt-hour, so 17 cents is a bit above that, but still reasonable (for comparison, the average price of gasoline in Pontiac, Illinois is $3.50 per gallon). So if you assume that an electric car gets 3 miles per kilowatt-hour, then 17 cents per kilowatt-hour is equivalent to about $1.55 per gallon of gasoline. That's a significant savings, especially considering that electric cars are also much cheaper to maintain than gasoline-powered cars.
So, yup, 17 cents per kilowatt seems to me a very good price for electric car charging.
Cheers,
Margaret
P.S. I've heard that the beef jerky is pretty good too.

 

[6zfshdb]

This thread is making my head hurt with all the possibilities.

Don't forget to add something for the fun you have riding your e-bike or the cost to replace your house when that cheapo battery burns it down.

 

[Muso]

Here in Los Angeles, on the city-owned utility (LADWP), my bottom line price including the electricity plus the graft, bribes, tax, and tip due to the City Council, is 25¢ per KWh. It takes about 1 KWh to charge my 625 Watt/Hour battery, and I usually get a good 35 miles outta that. The battery is guaranteed for 500 of those but I'll realistically get 1,000 charges as a full service life from the battery, which costs about 900 bucks. The cost of the battery alone is 2.6¢ per mile. The electricity isn't even worth considering. It's in the noise. Which is to say about 0.7¢ per mile. So total battery cost plus power cost is 3.3¢ per mile.

The IRS, an organization not known for its generosity, says my car costs 65.5¢ per mile to operate.