How far can an e-bike go? Ebike range explained

What changes e-bike range

1. Battery size (Wh). Watt-hours are the battery's stored energy. More Wh generally means more range, all else equal. Compare Wh between bikes, not just "Ah" or "volts" alone.
2. Assist level. Lectric's manual says to ride at a lower pedal-assist level to get the most from each charge, and to use lower levels and pedal when climbing hills.
3. Rider and cargo weight. Lectric's manual says range varies between riders and with cargo weight, and advises carrying only the weight you need.
4. Terrain. Hills use more energy than flat ground. Lectric notes that using the throttle at slow speed uphill puts maximum strain on the drive system and the battery.
5. Speed and wind. The manual lists wind among the factors that change range.
6. Starts and stops. Lectric's tips say to pedal when starting from a standstill.
7. Temperature. Bosch's manual has codes (540 and 605) for a bike outside its tolerable temperature range, which tell you batteries and drive units have limits. Your manual lists safe charging and riding temperatures.
8. Battery age. Lectric's manual says charging time can increase with battery age and use. Your maker's warranty page says how it treats battery capacity.

Why the maker's number is a ceiling

Lectric prints its test conditions in the XP4 manual: flat ground, few starts and stops, few bumps, no extra cargo, little to no wind, about 75 °F, a top speed of 20 mph, a rider weighing about 180 lb and tires at 35 psi. Under those conditions it says up to 50 miles on the 10.4 Ah battery and up to 85 miles on the 17.5 Ah battery. Change any of those conditions, and the result changes.

Not every maker prints its conditions. Where one doesn't, treat "up to" as marketing until you find the footnote.

A simple way to compare claims

Divide the claimed miles into the battery's Wh. This is arithmetic on the makers' own claims, not a test result:

• Lectric XP4: 500 Wh and up to 50 miles is about 10 Wh per claimed mile.
• Aventon Level 4 REC: 733 Wh and up to 75 miles is about 9.8 Wh per claimed mile.

The two claims sit close together, but they come from different test conditions. A bike that claims far fewer Wh per mile than similar bikes deserves a closer look at its footnote.

Estimate yours

Use the range estimator. It is an estimate from stated assumptions, not a measurement of any bike. Enter your battery Wh, weight, terrain and assist level, and read the result as a band.

For a first plan:

1. Take your battery's Wh from the maker's spec page.
2. Use the estimator with your own weight and typical route.
3. Plan trips so that you arrive with charge to spare, because cold, wind and hills can cut range.
4. Keep a note of what you actually get on a few rides, and adjust.

Ways to get more from a charge

From Lectric's manual: ride at lower assist levels, pedal on hills and when starting, and carry only what you need. Keep tires at the pressure your manual lists, and keep the bike serviced so wheels spin freely. Lectric's manual lists "wheels should always spin freely" among its tips.

When range suddenly drops

If range falls sharply, a flat tire, low tire pressure or a battery that is not fully charged are the easy things to check. For charging trouble, see e-bike battery not charging.

Estimates here use makers' stated figures and published conditions. We have not measured any bike's range.