Last Updated on May 17, 2023 by Matt
If your electric bike is your primary mode of transport or you mostly travel long distances, it’s important to know how long a single charge will last. You don’t want to get stuck with an electric bike that goes dead whenever you take it out for a ride.
In this guide, we’ll dive into some data on how long an electric bike battery charge lasts typically, and I’ll share some tips from my own experience on how to make a single charge last longer.
How long does an electric bike charge last?
On average, the charge of most electric bikes can last 2.56 hours at medium speed. This value can vary depending on many factors like the bike’s battery capacity, terrain type, rider and ebike weight, and speed, among others. Electric bikes typically have a battery capacity under 1000 Wh which normally lasts for 20 to 50 mi / 32 to 80 km on a single charge, or between one and five hours of continuous riding at medium speeds. High-end electric bikes with higher-capacity batteries even last over 80 mi / 128 km.
Instead of measuring how long an electric bike will last on a single charge in time or distance units, manufacturers use watt-hours. The main reason is that you never truly know how long your charge will last or how far it will take you, as there are several other factors involved here.
Let’s discuss the variables that decide how long an electric bike will last on a single charge.
What factors affect the charge of an electric bike?
Each of the following factors plays a big role in increasing or decreasing the charge of your electric bike battery:
- The capacity of an electric bike battery is the amount of energy it can store and use for a single charge cycle. The higher the capacity of an ebike battery, the longer its charge will last.
- Riding your electric bike on an uneven surface or rough terrain will require more power from the motor, draining the charge faster than usual.
- The rider’s weight, combined with any extra weight they carry on the electric bike, can tax the ebike’s battery significantly. The battery is then forced to expend more energy to power the motor.
- Riding your electric bike at a higher speed or using high levels of pedal assist will also require more power from the motor and drain your battery more quickly.
- After a certain age, batteries can’t hold as much charge as they used to initially. Proper maintenance can help slow the aging process down, but degradation is inevitable.
- Extreme weather conditions can mess with the battery’s chemistry, affecting its ability to hold charge. Resistance from strong winds and rolling friction caused by rain can also drain the battery quicker.
What is the relationship between an electric bike’s charge and range?
It can be easy to confuse an electric bike’s range and how long its charge will last. That’s because both of these specifications depend on common factors and can be improved using the same methods.
The charge in an electric bike is directly related to its range. When an ebike battery has a higher charge, it’ll have a longer range. A fully charged battery will have a maximum range that will decrease as the charge is used to power the motor. However, charge doesn’t always directly translate to range, as there are other factors such as the battery and the motor efficiency, as well as the weight the scooter has to pull, that further affect the practical range the electric bike provides.
Electric bikes with long-lasting charges
The following table shows different electric bike models and how long the battery charge of each bike lasts when you ride them at medium speed. The data is ordered to start from the electric bike that can last the longest on a single charge.
| Electric bike | Battery capacity, watt-hours | Time, hours (medium speed) |
|---|---|---|
| Juiced Bikes Hyper-Scrambler 2 | 1990 | ~ 7.96 |
| Riese & Muller Homage GT | 1,250 | ~ 5 |
| Riese & Muller Supercharger2 | 1,250 | ~ 5 |
| Lectric XPremium | 1000 | ~ 4 |
| Tern GSD S00 | 1000 | ~ 4 |
| Himiway Zebra | 960 | ~ 3.84 |
| Sondors X | 840 | ~ 3.36 |
| Magnum Payload | 768 | ~ 3.07 |
| Aventon Aventure | 720 | ~ 2.88 |
| BH AtomX Lynx 5 | 720 | ~ 2.88 |
| Easy Motion Atom X Carbon | 720 | ~ 2.88 |
| Specialized Turbo Levo Comp | 700 | ~ 2.80 |
| Rad Power Bikes RadCity 5 Plus | 672 | ~ 2.68 |
| Aventon Level | 672 | ~ 2.68 |
| M2S All Terrain R750 | 672 | ~ 2.68 |
| Rad Power Bikes RadRover 6 | 672 | ~ 2.68 |
| Surface 604 Shred | 672 | ~ 2.68 |
| Biktrix Juggernaut Ultra FS | 672 | ~ 2.68 |
| Blix Aveny | 672 | ~ 2.68 |
| Elby Bike 9-Speed | 672 | ~ 2.68 |
| Pedego City Commuter MidDrive | 672 | ~ 2.68 |
| Rad Power Bikes RadCity 4 | 672 | ~ 2.68 |
| BULLS Lacuba EVO 8 | 650 | ~ 2.6 |
| Fantic FatSport 1 | 630 | ~ 2.52 |
| Haibike XDURO AllMtn 8.0 | 630 | ~ 2.52 |
| Trek Allant+ 9 Stagger | 625 | ~ 2.5 |
| Cube Kathmandu Hybrid Pro 625 | 625 | ~ 2.5 |
| Giant Explore E+ 4 GTS | 625 | ~ 2.5 |
| Bulls Alpine Hawk EVO | 625 | ~ 2.5 |
| Bulls Daily Grinder | 625 | ~ 2.5 |
| Focus Aventura2 6.7 | 625 | ~ 2.5 |
| Moustache Samedi 29 Game 8 | 625 | ~ 2.5 |
| Magnum Mi6 | 624 | ~ 2.49 |
| VoltBike Enduro | 624 | ~ 2.49 |
| Yuba Supercargo CL | 614 | ~ 2.45 |
| QuietKat Ranger | 614 | ~ 2.45 |
| Haibike SDURO Trekking 9.0 | 600 | ~ 2.4 |
| Nakto Camel | 576 | ~ 2.30 |
| Co-op Cycles CTY e2.2 | 504 | ~ 2.01 |
| VanMoof S3 | 504 | ~ 2.01 |
| iGO Electric Core | 504 | ~ 2.01 |
| Kona Dew-E DL | 504 | ~ 2.01 |
| VanMoof Electrified X2 | 504 | ~ 2.01 |
| VanMoof S3 | 504 | ~ 2.01 |
| Cannondale Topstone Neo Carbon Lefty 3 | 500 | ~ 2 |
| Diamondback Union 2 | 500 | ~ 2 |
| Specialized Como 4.0 | 500 | ~ 2 |
| Trek Verve+ 2 | 500 | ~ 2 |
| Yamaha Wabash | 500 | ~ 2 |
| Gazelle Arroyo C8 HMB | 500 | ~ 2 |
| Cannondale Topstone Neo Carbon | 500 | ~ 2 |
| Cube Touring Hybrid One 500 | 500 | ~ 2 |
| Giant Fathom E+ 3 Pro | 500 | ~ 2 |
| Gazelle Ultimate T10+ HMB | 500 | ~ 2 |
| Priority Embark | 429 | ~ 1.71 |
| Charge Bikes City | 418 | ~ 1.67 |
| GoCycle GXi | 375 | ~ 1.5 |
| Aventon Soltera | 360 | ~ 1.44 |
| Electra Townie Go! 7D | 309 | ~ 1.23 |
| Brompton Electric | 300 | ~ 1.2 |
| Cannondale Treadwell Neo EQ | 250 | ~ 1 |
According to this data, on average, most electric bike batteries can last 2.56 hours on a single charge. However, this data is imprecise because the operating time for each bike can vary depending on multiple factors, e.g., the age of the battery, motor efficiency, etc. Nonetheless, you still get an idea of which electric bikes have longer-lasting charges than others. Let’s go look at some of them in detail.
Himiway Zebra Fat Bike
The Himiway Zebra Fat Bike is a versatile electric bike with a long range of 80 mi / 129 km. It is equipped with 26″ x 4″ fat tires for improved stability and traction on rough terrains. This takes off plenty of load from the motor, extending the range of the electric bike.
The bike is powered by a 48V 20Ah Samsung/LG lithium battery with a capacity of 960 watt-hours.
Its powerful 750-watt motor is very efficient and will make riding uphill feel like a breeze because you’ll get a lot of assistance from the pedal assist and throttle features.
The bike is also great for traveling long distances because of its comfortable seating. It keeps the rider in an upright position and has adjustable suspension forks to absorb shocks and vibrations on the trail.
These features save you from fatigue so that you can ride even the roughest terrains without breaking a sweat.
You can get this all-terrain bike for $1,999 with a 2-year warranty.
Juiced Bikes HyperScrambler 2
The HyperScrambler 2 from Juiced Bikes has two G2 52V/ 19.2Ah lithium-ion batteries for an extended range of over 100 mi / 160 km. Together, both batteries have an excellent capacity of 1989 watt-hours.
This lets you travel longer distances and still use a considerable amount of pedal assistance and the half-twist throttle without worrying about the battery running out.
The bike is fairly lightweight thanks to a custom aluminum heat-treated frame. It has 20″ x 4.25″ puncture-resistant tires for rough terrains.
With a 1,000W RetroBlade motor, the HyperScrambler 2 provides high-level assistance that will save you from getting tired during a long ride. You also get high-powered disc brakes to help you effectively stop the bike in all weather and road conditions.
The bike comes with a 1-year warranty, and its price has been reduced from $2,599 to $1,999.
Cannondale Topstone Neo Carbon Lefty 3
The Cannondale Topstone Neo Carbon Lefty 3 is a gravel bike equipped with a Bosch PowerTube battery of 500Wh. This is a higher-end electric bike and also has more range than most other models.
It has a lightweight carbon frame which is pretty good at absorbing shocks and vibrations on rough terrains, making long rides more efficient.
The bike has a single-legged suspension fork called the Lefty Oliver fork, which has a lockout feature for adjusting the suspension. This feature gives you more control and stability when riding on rough terrains.
You get small-diameter higher-volume 650b x 42c tires that have low rolling resistance. Low rolling resistance will help conserve the battery for an extended range. These tires are great for riding smoothly on gravel and dirt roads.
The bike is more expensive than the other long-range electric bikes I’ve mentioned, with a price of around $6,100. You get different warranty periods for each component of the electric bike.
If you don’t see yourself riding a lot on rough terrains and just need a long-range electric bike for smooth paths, I wouldn’t recommend the Cannondale Topstone Neo Carbon Lefty 3.
Instead, the other two options are much better, with a higher battery capacity and a high range. The HyperScrambler 2’s double battery makes it stand out among the other options, but the Himiway Zebra is great too.
Both of these bikes have fat tires, so it’s not like you won’t be able to ride on rough terrain at all if you don’t get the Cannondale Topstone Neo Carbon Lefty 3.
Tips to make an electric bike’s charge last
These are my tips to prolong the electric bike charge time:
- upgrade to a higher-capacity battery
- connect a second battery
- start with a full charge
- clean any gunk stuck in your electric bike
- use less pedal assistance and throttle
- reduce the bike’s weight by removing any accessories and extra baggage
- ride at a moderate speed to avoid putting excessive load on the motor
- avoid stopping the bike too much because it will use a large amount of energy to start moving again
- choose a route with the least traffic so you don’t waste charge
- keep the electric bike lubricated to avoid wasting energy because of friction
- inflate the tires of your electric bike to the right tire pressure.
How to calculate how long an electric bike’s battery charge will last?
If an electric bike’s user manual does not specify the time duration a single charge will last, you can use the following formula:
Time (in hours) = Battery capacity (in watt-hours) / Power consumption (in watts)
You can find your electric bike’s battery capacity and power consumption in its user manual or by searching for the model online.
If you have trouble finding the battery’s capacity you can use the following formula:
Battery capacity (Watt-hours) = Voltage (Volts) x Ampere-hours (Ah)
Note that the calculated time values are more ideal values rather than practical. In real-life scenarios, the time a charge will last can differ greatly from the calculated value.
This is because the formula doesn’t factor in the age of the battery, weather conditions, type of terrain, etc., which could increase the charge drainage.
