So, how many miles do you get on a charge?

[Deleted member 4210]

Mike: Didn't understand your answer...can you usually get 35 miles on an average ride? Just wondering...

If you have an ebike with a rear hub motor that is 500 watts, ride in level 1 or 2 assist, stay under 15 mph, and have a 48volt 11.6 ah battery, you can likely average 35 miles on mostly flat roads. If you use the throttle, you will get less.

If you weigh over 200 lbs, and encounter some hills, you may get less.

If you ride at 25 mph, and use level 5 assist you will get less.

If you are riding into a 10 mph headwind you will get less.

If you are in good physical shape (i.e ride a regular bike a hundred miles or more per week, before you bought the ebike) and use the gears properly you could possibly achieve 50 miles.


I know people who ride Surface Rooks or Colts who achieve 50 miles regularly - the battery is 48 Volts and 10 amphours capacity.

Again - lots of variables affect range. Ride with under inflated tires and the range will be less.

 

[linklemming]

Both my battery and legs seem to last longer than my butt, at this point; good for about an hour in the saddle then it's time for 5-10 minutes of stretching, walking around and drinking water. I'm on a Magnum Metro (hub drive), 185 lbs, owned it for less than a month, riding often limited by wx so short miles so far. Typical ride is around 22-25 miles, paved flatish trail with a number of noticeable hills. I use 6th gear of 8, Normal (middle) mode, PAS 1 go to 2 on hills or wind. Longest ride so far was 26 miles, had 48.9v left on battery.

There are several 50-60+ miles rides here I want to try; they're close enough to my range limit that I'm a little nervous. Want to start using Eco mode more this summer to extend the range. Does anyone know how much difference this makes?

Hang in there, the butt thing gets better as you ride more. I ride about 2 hours a day and have no issues in that regard (but did when first starting riding my ebike more often).

Hard to say on 50-60 miles. Your metro has a good size battery at 650wh so its doable but alot will depend on your riding style speed, what the motor is actually putting out and the hills/wind.

Best thing to do would be to get a kill-a-watt meter and start recording the charge(wh) you put back in after a ride and just trying different things. I would recommend assuming charging efficiency of 85%.

My usage can vary between 7 and 25 wh/mile. As JRA mentioned a few post back, 15wh/mile is a good starting point.

Eco definately adds to the range (as expected). Definately depends on the bike.

Juiced CCX(geared hub motor with 5 assist levels (eco/1/2/3/S)) - 10wh/mile on eco averaging 16.5mph, 15wh/mile on 1 averaging about 18mph, 23wh/mile on S averaging 21mph. I find assist level 1 at 15wh/mile the most fun(on this bike) so range would be about 60 miles.

Bulls Evo 3 27.5+ (Brose mid-drive, 650wh battery) - dont have alot of efficiency numbers yet but I have done several 60 mile rides using assist level 2 mostly, 3 some(out of 4). Lately I have been riding in level 1/2 and charging every 2 rides (about 50 miles). Still have 1 or 2 bars left (out of 5). Rides usually average about 14.5-16mph (huge tires slows it down)

iZip Moda E3 (Brose mid-drive, 500wh battery) - 3 assist levels, on level 1 I have achieved 6.6wh/mile at 14.9mph average(not fun), on level 2 10.7wh/mile at 17.1mph. Level 3...range, whats that!. I could do 60 miles on level 1 but really dont want to. 30-40 miles at level 2 seems perfect for this bike.

All these quotes are with low wind, I typically do about 1000ft vertical per every 20-30 miles on these rides. Im putting in alot of effort on all these rides(except for CCX on level 1 and above). Im about 220#

 

[tomjasz]

Great stuff...

Early on, mid drive kit building my first 3 months 5 years ago, I gave up on range anxiety and added a second battery. Then short on funds I could only manage a slightly larger battery, 13.5Ah. Because I can better manage two batteries in my riding use they’re now doing their 5th season. And perfectly acceptable performance. Usually I charge to 80%, i store properly for 3-4 months, full charge both for a longer adventure and rotate regularly. Check and keep all case to base connections spotless and treat with ACF50. All connections treated with ACF50, waterproofing and anticorrosion properties, used in avionics.

I have no idea about watt draw at various settings. But I have yet to get stranded in 5 years. Each spring I’ve ridden with a charged battery at a known voltage and run until my low voltage cutout activates. Bob’s my uncle. I’m set with a do not exceed mileage.

Easier on my stroke recovered brain, and no range anxiety. But I am thankful for the well thought out and logical breakdowns by linklemming and others. Great stuff for sharing with others with similar needs to be happier riders.

 

[Bobsiii]

Have you thought of a different saddle? Or perhaps a paddle covering? Many available on the market. Oh, and I’m assuming you are wearing padded cycling shorts for longer rides.

Yup, tried a Serfas Tailbones no help, think it's just a matter of toughing things up. Once we get past Cinco de Mayo here wx usually gets drier, lots more riding so just enduring and hoping right now. Tx.

 

[Bobsiii]

Probably going to add a second battery to remove range anxiety, once butt gets with the program. Right now I'm trying to figure out where to mount it/how to carry it. Saw someone on a diff model Magnum mounted it to the sloping top bar but that won't work on the Metro due to bottle cage bosses located toward the bottom of that tube.

 

[harryS]

Were your tires inflated to max pressure ? Were hers inflated to same pressure as yours ? Did you both use the same gears ? Do you both have the same strength to weight ratio?

40% difference sounds like a lot , given all other variables, except weight, were the same.

Especially in only 12 miles.

Good points. Tire pressure could be off. I also used more assist, going to PAS 2 on hills as I got badly out of biking shape since we last rode in January. My wife was proud of staying in PAS 1, but I did get ahead of her a lot and had to stop/wait a few times. If anything, it points out that herky-jerky riding uses more power.

I verified the watt-meters in the past, so they should be pretty close.

 

[Deleted member 4210]

Good points. Tire pressure could be off. I also used more assist, going to PAS 2 on hills as I got badly out of biking shape since we last rode in January. My wife was proud of staying in PAS 1, but I did get ahead of her a lot and had to stop/wait a few times. If anything, it points out that herky-jerky riding uses more power.

I verified the watt-meters in the past, so they should be pretty close.

My wife is in great shape, and doesn't bike, but if we both did at the same time, same batteries etc, same course, she'd probably use 40% less watts too. She has one of those fit bits and exceeds 15,000 steps per day regularly. She's like a little dynamo at 5ft even.

On an ebike, I can really extend range though by 'hypermiling' with lots of coasting, minimal braking, stops, interspersed by strong spurts of pedaling. Maximize slight grades, and use the right gears. Just use assist when I feel like I need it. Concepts somewhat Similar to what one can do with a car.

I don't want the e-assist to become a 'crutch ' but rather a boost and an aid on occasion, when my body can use the extra energy. That's what I like most about the Yamaha cross connect. The bike rides so nice, you feel like you only need a few watts yet maintain a sweet pace. But everyone has their own desired purpose. As long as the ebike gets them out riding instead of a car, or just sitting, who cares how they use or what the average distance can be had on one battery charge ?

 

[DouglasB]

summer to extend the range. Does anyone know how much difference this makes?[/QUOTE]

I did a couple of longer rides this Spring and used the eco mode for most of the time. Eco mode always seemed like a let down after using Sport or Turbo but after a 45 mile ride, mostly in Eco I began to see things differently. I realized I didn't need to go 25 miles per hour all the time. Once I settled in to enjoying the ride rather than seeing how fast I could get there, it was great!

 

[ebikemom]

I definitely get much more range in lower PAS. Even if I don't "work harder". Working hard also, gives more range, for sure. I don't need to push my range limits (and have a big battery), but this summer we are going on a cycling vacation, so will be riding longer amounts of time, hence trying different things. We might bet one extra battery for the summer trip, to rotate among our bikes, to maximize our cycling time. The goal is fun, not distance, so no high stakes. Last summer on our vacation we were having fun with higher PAS (zoom!), but with what I've learned about the impact on range, this summer we'll be pedaling along at a slower speed and smelling more of the roses!

 

[NatPedaler]

the Bosch range assistant is remarkably accurate and allows you to play what if games with all the various factors that effect range

https://www.bosch-ebike.com/us/service/range-assistant/

Absolutely agree.

 

[Highway550]

Shimano Steps E6000 w/ 418 Wh Battery

For flat riding, riding with no assist just feels like a normal touring bike, Fully loaded, it just goes down the road.
On a recent Katy Trail ride (mostly flat- crushed limestone surface) riding in the OFF position was done at about 11-12 mph.
Selecting ECO mode increased the mph to 14.
Selecting NORMAL mode increased it to 16.
Selecting HIGH mode increased it to 19

Averaging about 14 mph, I was able to complete a 65 mile stretch with the battery still having power and the indicator showing I had 10 miles of assist in ECO mode.

In very hilly areas of riding (where the E-Bike is really appreciated - often going to high mode for the steeper hills) I get about 10 miles per indicator bar - or 50 miles of battery.
Always good to pedal unassisted when your battery is low.

https://www.highway550.com/

 

[33red]

Occasionally i just pedal without assist.
The real answer is you can have range plus speed using a fuel thank and refilling.
I have no problem getting 50 miles and more with a 500 battery but i am used
to 4 hours rides without assist and weight 135 pounds.
Having 3 bikes i stay away fom max assist to keep the bike feeling
and enjoy 2 bikes with no assist depending on season.

 

[DDBB]

I must be lazy as I'm always riding in high assist on my yamaha PW system.. The bummer is my wife's Gazelle with shimano 6000 system has more power in high so I have to work hard to keep up. If she rides in the next lower assist level we are even but she won't so I'm always eating dust. I'd rather have it this way than the other way around though or she might lose interest. I figure on 30 mi. range for both bikes to be safe. We can get 50 but need to use lower assist, work harder and go slower.

 

[Figs]

On my UI6 (which has 6et PAS levels) I get 60+ in level 2, and 50+ in level 3. When I go on a ride with more hills and want to crank it up using levels 3,4,5,5 and 6 I get around 40.

 

[Over50]

500 wh Shimano vs 700 wh Specialized

 

[vincent]

WOW, just wow

I would not even want to walk that trail much less ride a bike on it lol

serious cyclists

 

[harryS]

Were your tires inflated to max pressure ? Were hers inflated to same pressure as yours ? Did you both use the same gears ? Do you both have the same strength to weight ratio?

40% difference sounds like a lot , given all other variables, except weight, were the same.

Especially in only 12 miles.

I've done some more checks, which included using different batteries and also moving batteries between our bikes. I'm still using 40% more than her, including a 24 mile ride today, 5.6 AH for me and 4. 0 AH for her. Guess I am not pedaling as hard as I used to pedal.

 

[6zfshdb]

After a year of riding my rear hub Pedego Interceptor with 750 wh battery, I average 55 miles per ride. I've never discharged a battery below 19% so I estimate the range to be between 60 and 65 miles on a full charge. I'm 6' 2", 260# and usually carry 20# of gear.

 

[Ricky]

Hi, I have about 4500 miles on my Diamondback Lindau 500 watt rear hub motor e-bike with a 422 watt hour battery. I only weigh around 140 pounds and I ride it 12 miles a day to/from my work. The route has 500 feet of elevation over the there and back. If I am content with going on lowest assist (level 1) I go about 16-17 mph and I get about 48 miles of range per charge. If I go in the highest assist level (level 4) I go probably 23 mph and the range is cut in half and I get about 24 miles per charge.

I also purchased an iZip Moda at the end of 2018 and have about 800 miles on it. It is a Brose mid-drive system with a 500 watt hour battery. The range on the iZip Moda is amazing, but I still do not know what the range is. I have gone on at least 4 rides between 40-50 miles where I had used only 50% or less of the battery. That being said, you have to put more effort into the Brose mid-drive system than when using the Lindau rear hub system. I am guessing that you could EASILY go close to a 100 miles on the lowest assist level and probably 70 miles on the middle setting if you go under 20mph. I have a co-worker with the same bike and he only gets about 38-40 miles on a charge using the highest setting and going over 20mph to and from work.

But, if I am going for a bike ride with other people I HIGHLY prefer the Brose mid-drive system. It feels very natural and you can easily feel like a regular biker and match anyone's speed whether they are more or less fit than I am. If I am going by myself to work, I prefer the Lindau especially if it is a hotter day as it is more work pedaling the Brose system because it measures torque where the Lindau only measures cadence.

I too am interested in others results.

 

[33red]

I must be lazy as I'm always riding in high assist on my yamaha PW system.. The bummer is my wife's Gazelle with shimano 6000 system has more power in high so I have to work hard to keep up. If she rides in the next lower assist level we are even but she won't so I'm always eating dust. I'd rather have it this way than the other way around though or she might lose interest. I figure on 30 mi. range for both bikes to be safe. We can get 50 but need to use lower assist, work harder and go slower.

I use max to get to trails(no car) than 1 notch less. With trees, rocks max is not smart.