How Much Range or What Size Battery Do I Need For My Electric Bike?

In this installment of our 3 Minute Electric Bike Video Series, Bill explains how range and amp-hours relate and what important factors you need to determine which battery is best for you.

First, amp hours is just the rating of a battery that relates to how far you can go on a single charge. The benchmark standard of battery in the electric bike industry is a 10 amp hour battery. With a battery like that, you can go roughly 20 -40 miles on a single charge. You might say to yourself, “20-40 miles, that’s a really broad range but why is that such a broad spectrum.”

There are many factors that play in how far you can go on a single charge:

• a hilly area
• a windy area
• if you like to go fast, you’d actually have more wind resistance and that draws more current
• lighter weight which definitely is a big factor because somebody who weighs 150lbs is going to draw less energy than somebody who weighs 250lbs so that’s a factor.
• Tire inflation
• Long Rides, if you like to do long-distance rides, you definitely want to be considering extended range battery

In summary, if you are in a hilly area, if it’s really windy, if you are a heavier person, if you like to go really fast, you probably are thinking about an extended range battery. If those things don’t apply to you, a 10 amp hour battery that is the benchmark standard in our industry, would be appropriate for you.