What’s your real-world e-bike range?

[Chazmo]

Hi guys! I was thinking about how subjective the “up to X miles” is, so I wonder if you would like to share your actual consumption and the conditions behind it, for example, motor type, voltage, your weight or cargo, terrain, temperature... I'm curious to know if there is a significant difference between what you experience in different situations vs the range that manufacturers advertise

I got pretty much what I expected when I bought my Juiced fat-tire bike a few years ago. Practical limit is 50 miles on easy trails and road with hills.

I suppose what you get as an estimate from the vendor will vary wildly. Good luck in the hunt.

 

[speedub.nate]

Another variable to consider: "protected reserve" to run the lights.

Well, that's my name for it.

Last night I rode home in "Trail" mode which, to the uninitiated, is Shimano's stock middle level of pedal assist (although its power output is much closer to the top than to the middle). I also took a slightly hillier route home, but still... only 400' of climbing.

Anyhow, this morning I did my usual Eco mode into work but for the final 1½ miles shifted up to Trail mode because I was running a couple of minutes behind schedule. At about the same time that I switched to Trail mode, my battery went from 2/5 bars to 1/5 (red) bars, but no problem, right?, because I've only got like one mile to go.

Nope.

With about ½ mile remaining, the motor shut off. It wasn't until I got to work that I noticed I had left my lights on. I know there's a setting in the Shimano programming having to do with reserve battery for headlight use, but what I don't know is if this protection buffer is based on the real-time status of the lights. For instance, if I had shut the lights off, would the system then give me back some of that buffer?

This bike also as Di2 shifting and needs to run the display, so there is always some battery reserve, but today was the first day of a 2x commute consisting of Trail + Eco (mostly) killing the battery.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

You are absolutely correct Nate. All good e-bikes have -- as you name it -- a protected reserve. The first reason is discharging an e-bike battery with the full current at the low charge is very dangerous to the battery, and it could not only damage it but also lead to even worse consequences. Hence, most decent e-bikes cut the assistance off around 5% battery charge level and keep anything remaining to feed the e-bike computer, lights and other electronics. How the approach to 5% is done and how the cut-off is practically implemented depends on the specific brand's approach.

• Giant e-bikes behave normally down to 20% battery level. After that, the battery charge falls off the cliff, and the motor is cut-off at 5%, keeping the e-bike computer and the lights alive
• Full power Specialized e-bikes slightly derate the motor below 20% but you can use almost the full power until 5%, when the motor is cut-off, and the reserve is kept for the lights and the system
• Lightweight Specialized SL e-bikes strongly protect the Main Battery and Range Extenders. If the RE discharges first, it is totally cut off between 10 and 5%. Below 20% of main battery, the first level of motor derating is applied: the e-bike feels weaker and slower. Below 10% battery level, it is the full motor derating, with only a fraction of the normal motor power available. Below 5%, the main battery is reported as 0%, and only the critical systems are still fed with electricity.

Even if I have ridden my Vado SL for the last 5 1/2 years (and own 4 Range Extenders), only recently I could realise what a discharged Main Battery was doing to the e-bike. As long as the Main Battery is between 10-5%, the motor will remain heavily derated even if you feed a 100% charged Range Extender! Worse: Connecting a fresh Range Extender prevents the Main Battery from further discharging, keeping the motor derated until the very end of the ride!

Now, my strategy for long SL rides is the following:

• Ride with "Discharge the Extender battery first", and discharge all available REs first, possibly never going below 20%
• With the last RE available, switch to "Discharge both batteries in parallel" and use the Main Battery and the last Range Extender
• Never allow the Main Battery discharge below 20% if you have any Range Extender still available.

The SL case is limited to a very specific Specialized e-bike model family but I think @Jeremy McCreary could find my observations interesting.