What kind of range do you get on one charge?

[Volusia25]

I know it varies but just a rough guideline since im interested.
What battery/motor combo do you have and what sort of mileage do you get on a single charge? Thanks

 

[Trail Cruiser]

Here's an article about real world battery consumption in watthour per mile. A realistic 20 wh/m is what usually people get but it is generally between 15-20 wh/m with some in the low tens when using low speed mid drives. So a typical 400 wh battery gives you 20 miles.
https://www.electricbike.com/watt-hours/

 

[Luv2ride]

I can go 30 to 40 miles on a 400 wh battery and 40 to 50 on a 500 riding my Trek with a Bosch performance speed motor.
This is a link to my typical ride. The pace is 18-25 mph with 2000 feet of climbing using mostly Tour mode.
https://www.strava.com/activities/978787129
I carry an extra battery in my trunk bag.

 

[JRA]

Figuring out your wh/mi consumption is the best way to calculate mileage. As said most average 15-20 but that also includes active human pedaling input, not just putting it in turbo and ghost pedaling or using only a throttle.

I average 15 +\- @ 23 +\- avg. spd. 1000w/48+52v/11ah in varied terrain and climate conditions and have learned to adjust my ride lengths accordingly.

One other thing is that you will get the best performance when the battery is at its peak voltage and as it drops wh/mi will increase slightly and more so approaching LVC of the battery. That is why it is important to do your own analysis.

 

[EddieJ]

Just about all of my riding is off road, and when using either of my Bosch CX powered eMTB's fitted with 500wh batteries, my range varies from 9.5 miles to 27 miles. The rides are completed using a mix of eco and tour. I never really require sport or turbo mode.

My range is very subjective to terrain, weather conditions, and elevation gain.

Riding locally, the elevation gain is approximately 1,200ft for every ten miles covered.

This ride required a battery change at roughly 9.5 miles, and the battery was too hot to touch. http://doarama.com/view/942817

For ref, I am 51yrs old, weigh 75kg, and now of a pretty good level of fitness.

 

[Douglas Ruby]

Specialized base Turbo with stock 200W direct drive hub motor and the large 691Wh 36V battery from the Turbo S. I get from 40 miles (full Turbo mode) to 100 mi (ECO 30). Typical would be around 60-70 miles at ECO60. I weigh 240 lbs, am 66 years old (not too fit and not too strong). Typical terrain is rural New England roads and trails w/rolling hills.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Elevation gain kills.

I completely tapped a 48v 15ah battery riding 15 miles with 3800 feet of elevation gain. For most of the ride it was quite cold so that also negatively impacted battery life.

I've made a forty mile ride with less than 1600 feet of elevation gain and was still in the top half of the battery.

 

[jazz]

500 miles per charge!!!

 

[Tbone]

I know it varies but just a rough guideline since im interested.
What battery/motor combo do you have and what sort of mileage do you get on a single charge? Thanks

On a R&M Charger GX Touring with Bosch CX motor and 500w battery and with just around 300 initial KM on it, when set to "Tour" mode it tells me I can go 104km. With the commuting I do, which averages 40-70km per ride, and usually set on "tour" mode, I have yet to be able to bring the battery indicator below 2 (of 5) bars.

 

[Solom01]

SS-Glide, on absolutely flat terrain (coastal SW Florida), 165 pounds, on pedal assist 2 at all times, 30 miles

There could be some lost of mileage because being on the Gulf coast there is constant wind which seems to be a headwind regardless of where I'm going . It will be interesting to see what happens this summer as the temperature which now tends to be in the middle 80s goes up and the humidity goes from 60-70% to close to 100%.

 

[Steve Miller]

I just purchased a 2016 Turbo X. First commute 16 miles each way. I used 70% of charge for each direction. This seems very strange compared to the numbers everyone is reporting. Used ECO70. Medium head winds. Speed 22 - 25. 50 minute ride. Flat roads, minimal stop lights. I weigh 170 lb. Pedal effort was similar to a road bike at 10 - 15 mph. Battery 562wh, 250W motor. What are your thoughts? Is this something you would expect or should I talk to the dealer?
Thx

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Assuming 100% depletion for the calculation, that's 48Wh per mile. That's considerable. I hope you carry a spare battery. I'm thinking the cold was a big contributor to the low efficiency.

The low temperature (28F) was probably part of it. There was a substantial headwind for the last five miles or so as well.

On the descent the battery recovered to about 30 percent.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

I just purchased a 2016 Turbo X. First commute 16 miles each way. I used 70% of charge for each direction. This seems very strange compared to the numbers everyone is reporting. Used ECO70. Medium head winds. Speed 22 - 25. 50 minute ride. Flat roads, minimal stop lights. I weigh 170 lb. Pedal effort was similar to a road bike at 10 - 15 mph. Battery 562wh, 250W motor. What are your thoughts? Is this something you would expect or should I talk to the dealer?
Thx

Your efficiency will drop a lot as your speed gets above 20mph. All of those electrons are spending as much effort pushing air as pushing you. My experience is the sweet spot for efficiency is around 15mph or so.

 

[RoadWrinkle]

So many factors effect range, but certain practices will always increase your range regardless of the variables. Assuming a PAS system, find the motor RPM sweet spot on your bike. My BULLS fs3 29 likes a fairly brisk cadence with a 42 tooth chain ring at about 15 mph. So despite wind and terrain variables, I can choose the cassette gear that keeps me in that sweet spot for most of the ride and have found I can get the best range for conditions this way. IOW, your finding the optimal performance zone for your motor and thus it is using battery power as efficiently as it can. Obviously, requiring less wattage output from your motor increases range. Never let the battery fully deplete, always charge to full right after use, paying attention to your tire pressure, reducing your carrying load any practical way you can.

 

[Steve Miller]

So it looks like part of the information needed for this thread is the average speed that people travel. Love to know. I am assuming that the cassette gear does not make a difference for the rear hub mounted motor. Is that correct?

 

[YD51]

My numbers:

• Bike: 2017 EVO Cross; 500w motor; 48v 500wh battery; adjustable stem giving me a more upright riding position (bad back)
• Me: 6'6", 270 pounds (I'm not fat, I'm big boned )
• Cargo: Topeak Explorer rack and matching MTX bag with ~10 pounds of clothing, food, and miscellaneous gear

My daily commute is a 20.4 mile round-trip on concrete biking/pedestrian trails and some streets. Half of that is fairly level with gentle up and down sections (follows a creek). The other half features longer climbs and drops with steeper grades. I've been riding this route with an unpowered bike for years so I'm in okay enough shape. I never use the throttle alone, I always pedal.

I have found that keeping it in ECO mode (lowest assist level) and maintaining speeds between 15 and 20mph (usually closer to the latter) will drain about 20% of the battery over those 10.2 miles. If there's a headwind, it will of course increase battery consumption. The other day I rode into a 20mph+ headwind for 7 of those miles and burned through over 30% of my battery capacity while maintaining an average speed closer to 15mph.

Therefore I would guess that I could get roughly 50 miles out of one charge on a fair day with minimal wind. And if I managed to drop my BMI to what the government says I should be, that range would undoubtedly go up.

 

[Douglas Ruby]

I just purchased a 2016 Turbo X. First commute 16 miles each way. I used 70% of charge for each direction. This seems very strange compared to the numbers everyone is reporting. Used ECO70. Medium head winds. Speed 22 - 25. 50 minute ride. Flat roads, minimal stop lights. I weigh 170 lb. Pedal effort was similar to a road bike at 10 - 15 mph. Battery 562wh, 250W motor. What are your thoughts? Is this something you would expect or should I talk to the dealer?
Thx

Steve, I ride a 2015/16 base Turbo. I find cruising at ECO 70 is a bit on the high side for range maintenance. Your numbers above suggest a range of just 22 miles which seems low. You are riding into a head wind which makes a big difference at speeds of 22-25 mph. What are your tire pressures? Do you have the stock Specialized Trigger Sport 700x47C tires? I am using much more efficient tires than the stock 700x45C Electrak tires that came with my Turbo. I have Michelin Energy 700x35C at 85 psi.

I find that if I cruise at ECO50 then I truly get twice the range I would get at full Turbo. With the 200W motor and the 691Wh battery, I get around 40 miles at full Turbo (last 20% at ECO70) and up to 100 miles at ECO30. Note that at 20% left, your battery will drop to whatever your ECO level is so my full Turbo estimate includes some amount of ECO70 for the last 20% of battery. I would estimate my ECO70 range at around 55 miles. If you multiply 55 miles by the difference in our motors (200W/250W) and the by the difference in battery capacities (562Wh/691Wh) you should get a range of around 35 miles for your Turbo X (all other things being equal) at ECO70.

I just finished a 26 mile "circle" ride today averaging 17.6 mph. I rode the first 4.1 miles at full Turbo (19.2mph with significant hills), the next 11.9 miles at ECO40 (15.2 mph flat), and the last 10 miles at full Turbo (21.1 mph with some hill). There was a total 738 ft. of elevation change. I had 58% left at the end of the ride suggesting that my range would be around 62 miles at that mix of power consumption. Strava's "power" estimates were around 290W for the first and last sections and around 115W for the middle section.

Some suggestions for optimizing range:

1. Run your tires at the upper edge of the allowable range.
2. Use ECO50 instead of ECO70
3. Keep your cruising speed at around 20 mph. Save the higher speeds for downhills.
4. lock your front fork

 

[Steve Miller]

Thanks Douglas. I will try those. I have the stock tires. The shop suggested 45 psi to improve ride comfort, so they are definitely low. I will take them to full pressure like I would on my road bike. I will look at the other tires you mention once my existing ones start to get worn. I have not tried ECO50. I suspect it will automatically result in speeds around 20. I can give the lock a try since my route is flat and paved. I should be riding in again on Wednesday and will turn on logging on the Strava app.
I am curious does the app record or display power consumption? It sure would be handy for trips.

 

[JRA]

If you are making it to work with enough battery at a rate of speed in ECO70 you are comfortable with why not keep running lower psi in your tires with your fork working for a more compliant ride? Hyper miling at the expense of ride comfort just doesn't make sense to me in the e bike world if not necessary. Want to go further get a bigger battery, want to go faster get a bigger motor or just pedal more or go slower to get more mileage.

I use no more than 40 psi and often 35 psi in my 40/45c tires and on straight pavement riding average mph is low to mid 20's @ +/- 15 wh/mi on a fully rigid bike. Love the way it soaks up the pavé and even feels smooth on gravel with great traction on mellow single track. I use a bigger 1000w motor, but often at around 250w-500w, leaving plenty in reserve and not asking the most out of it all the time which sucks wh's away in the form of heat.

 

[Douglas Ruby]

.... I should be riding in again on Wednesday and will turn on logging on the Strava app. I am curious does the app record or display power consumption? It sure would be handy for trips.

For pure pedal bikes, Strava will log accurate power readings IF you have a torque sensor in the crank. I know of no ebike that accurately records the combination of pedal power and motor power and provides it to a data collection system. In fact, I am unaware if any ebikes even log motor power. However, Strava will estimate power output based on speed, combined weight of bike and rider, and hill incline. It is this last estimate I referred to above. Note that going from around 16 mph to just around 20-21 mph increased power estimate by a factor of 2.5 to 1.

Also, while the motors on the Turbos are rated at 200W, 250W, and 500W, all of these motors are believed to exceed these ratings by quite a bit for bursts depending on motor temperature and other conditions. I know that I have a 100W body and if Strava says 300W when I am working hard, then the motor probably is putting out close to 200W on average. Strava also tells me that for around 10%-20% of the ride, the combined effort was over 400W. I know I avoid anaerobic effort due to previous heart conditions, so I expect that the motor must be above 200W.