How Far Can an Electric Bike Go on a Charge?

Our posts contain affiliate links. Sometimes, not always, we may make $$ when you make a purchase through these links. No Ads. Ever. Learn More

Key Takeaways:

• An electric bike battery will allow for anywhere from 22 miles to 60 miles per charge.
• This factor is determined by the size and mAh rate of the battery pack itself.
• External factors can influence overall battery life, including the weight of the rider and the amount of throttle that has been engaged.

If you are thinking of purchasing a top electric bike, you may be wondering just how long it will run on a single charge. You may also be wondering how many miles it can travel on the same charge. Additionally, to get the most out of your battery make sure to check out the highest-rated batteries for electric bikes.

How Far Will an Electric Bike’s Battery Go?

Though this depends on a number of external factors we will get into below, an average electric bike battery should be able to travel anywhere between 22 and 60 miles on a single charge. Be sure to take care of the battery as well as the rest of the components to make your ebike last a long time.

Insider Tip

• A battery’s mAh rating designates how much power it can deliver to an external source, such as an electric bike motor
• It is a good standard practice to follow the bike’s maximum weight guidelines, which can vary from around 200 pounds to 350 pounds
• In general, using an electric bike’s pedal assist (pedelec) function is vastly more efficient than engaging the throttle

Learn About Battery Ranges

Electric bike manufacturers advertise a number of different battery ranges when it comes to various makes and models. This advertised range is typically a “best-case scenario” of a sort. There are a number of factors that can impact real-world battery usage and the maximum range, like terrain. Steep hills and other types of terrain will drain the battery quicker because people will usually use some level of pedal assist to reduce their effort in climbing the hill. 

Battery Size and mAh Ratings

The overall size and mAh rating of your electric bike’s integrated battery will impact the maximum travel range. A battery’s mAh rating designates how much power it can deliver to an external source, such as an electric bike motor. For instance, if a battery is rated at 3,200 mAh, in a single hour it can charge 3,200 milliamps. Generally speaking, the higher the mAh, the better, though this could increase the battery’s overall weight. Of course, there are bikes with a removable battery, and you can carry extra batteries to help with your riding range but remember that it will add additional weight that can affect range.

Warning

• Generally speaking, the higher the mAh, the better, though this could increase the battery’s overall weight
• When considering the maximum weight to be placed upon an electric bike, you should also remember to include any personal items such as a backpack, laptop computer, and protective gear such as a helmet
• If you are looking to increase the maximum range of your battery, we would recommend engaging a pedal assist only when absolutely necessary

Rider Weight

The weight of the rider can impact the maximum battery range of an eBike battery. It is a good standard practice to follow the bike’s maximum weight guidelines, which can vary from around 200 pounds to 350 pounds. When considering the maximum weight to be placed upon an electric bike, you should also remember to include any extra weight, such as a backpack, laptop computer, and protective gear such as a helmet. The lower the weight the motor is transporting, the more mileage you will get per charge.

Pedal-assist and Throttle

In general, using an electric bike’s pedal assist (pedelec) function is vastly more efficient than engaging the throttle. This is because pedal-assist merely augments the power coming from our muscles to the pedal, whereas a throttle completely replaces the human element. Many electric bike models do not even include a throttle-only function for just this reason. If you are looking to increase the maximum range of your battery, we would recommend engaging a pedal-assist only when absolutely necessary.

STATS:

• Generally, to extend the life of an e-bike battery it’s recommended that lithium-Ion batteries not be fully discharged or fully charged to 100%. (Source)

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_bicycle

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedelec

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium-ion_battery

https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/8895556

*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tluh8a9fTnQ