What is the range of an electric bike? How Far Can You Travel on an Ebike?

There are many misconceptions in the industry these days; maybe it’s because ebikes are hybrid vehicle systems (combining human + electric power), which seem to be tempting many companies to exploit the lack of understanding from consumers to misguide, mislead and frankly lie – by giving range estimates that an ebike rider could never reach, even if riding on the moon.

The reason behind this misunderstanding is that customers buy the ebikes that claim the highest range. But if a brand claims a specific field and their customers, with the best advice, cannot reach a third of the estimated range? One more ebike has been sold, but the customer couldn’t have their range problem solved.

At Cyberbikes, we like to be plausible, be authentic, speak the truth about the industry and use physics laws to give you accurate information that can guide you through making an informed decision. Because of our ideals and courage to break this circle of deceit, we study the norm EN15194, which regulates electric bicycles in Europe, Australia and Brazil, for example.

The law says that an ebike can only have electrical assistance when the pedals are moving; it must have up to 250W continuous power when it reaches 25km/h.

Using the information provided by the bicycle manufacturer, we will get the battery nominal voltage (i.e. 48V) and the nominal capacity (i.e. Ah or ampere-hour). Through Ohm’s Law, Power (W) is equal to Voltage (V) multiplied by Amperage (A) (P = V*A). In this case, we will use Ah, giving us the result in Watts-Hour. That means you could consume a certain amount of power (Watts) for an hour (h).

Giving numbers to that example, let’s suppose we will use a battery of Diana (https://cyberbikes.com/product/the-queen-of-confidence/). She uses a 48V 16Ah battery. Multiplying Voltage * Ampere-hour, we have 48V * 16Ah = 768Wh
That means you could drain 768W for 1 hour until that battery dies.

As we know that an ebike that was manufactured according to the norm EN15194, this ebike in flat terrain, using the recommended tyre pressure and the rider is always pedalling at the right bike gear to extract the ebike power, we know this ebike will consume 250W when travelling at 25km/h.

If we divide the 768Wh of our battery by 250W, the result is 3.072 hours. (Watts cancels with Watts, and it lasts only hours).

We know that for every hour of cycling, our cyclists will travel 25 km; that means, if they travel for 3.072 hours, they will have covered 76.8km (3.072h * 25km/h = 76.8km) [hours cancelled with hours and lasts only km]

Using this equation, we can physically measure the distance an ebike can travel. All Cyberbikes use this calculation to estimate your electric bike’s range. It’s a more professional approach than other brands because if you ask them how they calculate their range, they cannot explain why and how they’ve come up with those numbers. That’s why Cyberbikes are significant; we are honest!

It’s important to note that bikes heavier than 30kg and wearing tyres wider than 3.0 inches consume more power to run at 25km/h compared to an electric bike with lighter, skinnier tyres. Also, the seat height, frontal area (broader and taller handlebars) and the rider’s strength can influence how far somebody can ride. So, in general, using our approach to Ohm’s Law and the EN15194 is the best tool to estimate the range of your electric bike.

Please, if you know a better method, let us know; we are scientists curious to understand new features and facts of this world. But remember, facts are unchangeable, while lies and crazy estimates can be created from thin air.

If you want to watch an animated explanation of Which Electric Bikes Have The Best Range, please watch Felipe giving his best to make this new idea stick to all ebike enthusiasts worldwide.

If you want to use our exclusive Cyberbikes Electric Bike Range Calculator, please download it here:

Cyberbikes Range Calculator