Ebike mileage – the determinants and calculation methods

3 configurations that determine ebike mileage

When riding an ebike, although there are many factors that can affect the ebike mileage range, the battery, motor and controller play the most decisive role.

Ebike battery
The battery is used to store electricity in the ebike. It stores electricity when charging and releases electricity when riding. There are also two factors that can affect the battery life of the ebike, namely capacity and bike battery voltage.

Theoretically, the higher the capacity of the battery, the more electricity will be charged, and the longer the ebike mileage range will naturally be. The higher the battery voltage, the more batteries there will be, and the longer the ebike mileage will be.

Motor
The electric motor for bike mainly affects the ebike mileage by the motor power. Theoretically, the greater the power of the motor, the stronger the power output, and the greater the power consumption, so the ebike mileage will be shortened. On the contrary, if the power of the motor is small, although the power performance is poor and the speed is slow, the power consumption is reduced, so the ebike mileage will be longer.

Controller
The quality of the controller will also affect the ebike mileage. Because if the ebike is equipped with a high-efficiency controller, its various accessories will operate more stably in low-temperature environments, with more power output, faster speed, and longer ebike mileage. And if it is equipped with an ordinary controller, the power output will be poor, the power consumption will be higher, and the ebike mileage will be shorter.

Calculation formula of ebike mileage

The ebike mileage mainly depends on the battery, and other major influencing factors include the power of the motor and the control speed of the controller. Therefore, we only need to check these three key elements and calculate the true ebike mileage through the calculation formula.

How to calculate the real ebike mileage? Just remember this formula:
Ebike mileage = battery voltage x battery capacity x speed ÷ motor power

Battery voltage: Refers to the potential difference of the battery. There are three mainstream ebike voltages: 48 volts, 60 volts, and 72 volts. And there are also 36 volts and 94 volts. The higher the voltage, the longer the ebike mileage.

Battery capacity: Refers to the size of the battery that can store electricity. There are many battery capacity specifications. Common SLA battery includes 12AH, 20AH, 32AH, graphene batteries include 22AH, 38AH, etc., and custom lithium battery includes 23AH, 32AH, 40AH, etc. The larger the capacity, the longer the battery life.

Speed: Generally, the maximum speed of electric bicycles is 25 km/h, that of electric scooters is 50 km/h, and that of electric motorcycles is 70 km/h. The lower the speed, the better the ebike mileage.

Motor power: It is a key factor affecting power, but it is also related to ebike mileage, because the greater the power, the higher the power consumption. Common powers are 400W, 800W, 1200W, etc., with the same configuration, the smaller the power, the longer the ebike mileage will be.

We introduced the key parameters that affect the ebike mileage above. Then, let’s take two examples to calculate the real ebike mileage in the two configurations.

Examples:
1. Suppose a user purchases an ebike with a voltage of 48 volts, a capacity of 20AH, a speed of 25 kilometers per hour, and a motor power of 400W. By calculation, the actual ebike mileage = 48 × 20 × 25 ÷ 400 = 60 kilometers.

2. Suppose a user purchases an ebike with a voltage of 72 volts, a capacity of 32AH, a speed of 50 kilometers per hour, and a motor power of 1000W. By calculation, the actual ebike mileage = 72 × 32 × 50 ÷ 1000 = 115.2 kilometers.

What battery capacity is needed for a 60V ebike to run 100 kilometers?

It is relatively easy for a 60-volt ebike to break through the 100-kilometer ebike mileage, mainly because it can be equipped with a larger battery. There are mainly two matching methods:

1. Configure a battery of about 26AH, a motor of less than 800W, and a speed of no more than 30~40km/h: in this combination, the battery capacity is small and the motor power is moderate, which can ensure the endurance of the ebike when driving at low speeds. At the same time, lower speeds help improve ebike mileage.

2. Configure a battery of more than 30AH, a motor of 1000W, and a speed of 50km/h: in this combination, the battery capacity is larger and the motor power is higher, which can ensure the endurance of the ebike when traveling at medium to high speeds. At the same time, appropriate speed can also improve cruising range.

It should be noted that no matter which combination is chosen, the quality of the battery and motor will have a great impact on battery life. Therefore, when purchasing a 60-volt ebike, consumers should choose reliable quality battery and motor products to ensure that the actual battery life of the ebike can meet their needs. In addition, good usage habits, such as avoiding sudden acceleration and braking, can also help improve the ebike mileage.

Reasons for short ebike mileage

Recently, many users have been wondering what makes the ebike mileage shortened. And here are some possible reasons.

1. The battery capacity is too small

If the battery capacity is too small, the ebike mileage will be reduced. Generally speaking, the larger the battery capacity, the longer the ebike mileage.

2. Battery aging

Secondly, if the battery has aging problems, the ebike mileage will also decrease accordingly. For example, when the battery is new, the ebike can travel 60 kilometers. However, as the battery ages and its performance declines, it may only be able to run about 30 kilometers, or even less.

3. The motor power is too high while the battery capacity is low

For ebikes, if it is equipped with a high-power motor and a low-capacity battery, there will also be a problem of short ebike mileage. Because high-power motors are powerful and consume a lot of power, and low-capacity batteries cannot support such consumption, and the battery life will be shortened. Therefore, high-power motors are best matched with large-capacity batteries.

4. The tire pressure is too low

Of course, in addition to these reasons, the tire pressure will also affect the ebike mileage. If the tire pressure is too low, which is often called the ebike tire being flat, the driving resistance will increase and the ebike mileage will be shortened accordingly.

5. Failure of brakes, controllers and other accessories

Another possible reason is the failure of other ebike parts such as brakes, controllers and other accessories. When these accessories fail, it will also cause the ebike to not run smoothly, increase driving resistance, and shorten the ebike mileage.

6. Differences in road conditions

Finally, another possible reason is the difference in road conditions. Ebike mileage on flat roads is longer than that of riding on mountain roads. It shows that differences in road conditions will also make users feel that ebikes have shorter ebike mileage. For example, the ebike has an ebike mileage of 60 kilometers on flat roads, but if riding on mountain roads, the driving range may reduce to 30 to 40 kilometers, or even shorter.