Should bikes with the Bosch 500wh battery and motor have the same approximate range?

ZachO

ZachO

New Member
Hi All, from reading Court's reviews, there are many factors that impact a bikes's range. But if conditions and other factors were the same (wind, terrain, pedal assist mode, rider and bike weight, etc.) should two bikes with the same Bosch 500Wh battery and motor have approximately the same range? I would think so but I see that different manufacturers who have essentially the same drive train (motor and battery) advertise very different ranges even though the bikes all hover around 50lbs. Anyone have any inputs?
 
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Rolling resistance. That's probably going to be the largest factor, considering your list of "equals" between two bikes. A fat bike with knobby tires running 15 psi would have a greater draw of battery usage than would a skinny, high psi pressured tire on the same bike. The extreme is illustrated above.
 
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Oops, spotted another one. Drive train downstream from the Bosch drive. A derailleur system will be the most efficient, and something like a Nuvinci with have a greater power loss due to its design. A Rohloff falls close to the derailleur, I'm told.
 
The manufacturers can advertise any number they want. If you question their numbers, they just tell you their are variables. Hell, Sondors started out saying 50 mile range on a fixie fat bike.
 
Rich C, I came across a guy checking his range on a Sondors, got 50 miles @ 10mph , flat part of trail going back and forth, avoid stop starts people etc., IE hyper-miling. I can imagine how my Stromer would do if i could do the same... I usually get he bottom end of specs if that. buy extra batteries and carry them is my method.
 
10 mph is easy speed to achieve and maintain even with non electric bike. I would be more interested on the range at a realistic 15-18 mph.
 
I've put 3000 miles on a Dirt-E with a Yamaha motor. On largely flat-ish terrain, it does 50 miles in normal traffic. Have about 3 significant bridges with climbs to cross, and the terrain rolls mildly rather than being absolutely flat. Feels flat on a car and on the ebike, but you definitely feel the slight gradients on a push-bike. Maybe 2%? Same terrain, 30 miles on flat-out full-abuse Sport mode. On Eco Mode, it'd probably do 70. Aside from your weight, it really depends on how long you're pedaling without any assist from the motor at all, which is likely enough for me since the terrain is forgiving and I am strong enough to pedal the bike past the electric assist while still being comfortable.
 
Riding at 10mph is almost torture! This was an old nerd (and I am 61 calling him old)just proving his battery could make it to 50 or whatever they advertised...
 
On my FullSeven with 400watt battery, my weight at 185lbs, 30lbs tire pressures, and just a few hills, but usually some 10mph headwinds, I usually get around 35 miles, averaging 15-18mph, using mostly tour, some eco, some sport and occasionally turbo. I don't ever drain the battery either, but go down to 2 bars verging on one bar. Want a second battery to take along, but cost is so high so will wait and see if I really need it. An alternative is that a local eBike dealer will rent me a battery for $35 a day for a 500 watt Bosch. Worth considering.
 
Depends on weight, speed, elevation. I get about 25 miles on Turbo and 60 miles on economy (bosch CX Trek Powerfly 8). There is a new backpack that is built to hold a battery, I forget the name it was in the recent Europe mountain bike show.
 
Two bikes that both utilize the same Bosch motor system and 500Wh PowerPack will inevitably get about the same range. The range will fall somewhere between 20-70 miles. This large range is due to the vast array of variables that can drain your battery's energy. Though with both bikes being ridden under the same conditions, the most important differentiators will be the tires and the drive-train. The rolling resistance and drag created by thicker/knobbier tires can result in a larger loss of momentum which will cause the motor to work harder and inevitably drain the bike's battery quicker. A bike's drivetrain can also result in a loss of energy due to the lack of power transfer. Some internal hubs are known for not being as efficient as a traditional derailleur and cassette, which in turn can also result in the bike's motor working harder and draining the battery's charge to a larger extent.
 
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It was actually a little more conservative than what I've experienced but a good tool for planning.
 
tallpaul said:
On my FullSeven with 400watt battery, my weight at 185lbs, 30lbs tire pressures, and just a few hills, but usually some 10mph headwinds, I usually get around 35 miles, averaging 15-18mph, using mostly tour, some eco, some sport and occasionally turbo. I don't ever drain the battery either, but go down to 2 bars verging on one bar. Want a second battery to take along, but cost is so high so will wait and see if I really need it. An alternative is that a local eBike dealer will rent me a battery for $35 a day for a 500 watt Bosch. Worth considering.
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Where are you located that a dealer will rent you one? That is a great idea if you only need an extra battery for a very long ride once in a while.
 
myke15 said:
Where are you located that a dealer will rent you one? That is a great idea if you only need an extra battery for a very long ride once in a while.
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We do it in Brooklyn and will soon do it in Long Beach. We’ve also had several people fly over from Europe without a battery and borrrow one while they were in town. You could do it the other way around as well. One great thing about having a common battery platform like that.

They actually just launched a charging network pilot in Europe as well which is pretty exciting.

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https://www.bosch-ebike.com/en/experience-ebike/stories/powerstations/
 
Other factors to consider are how often you are using throttle (if equipped), the higher pedal assist used the faster the battery will drain.
 
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