MAY 7, 2022

13 Tips to Increase Your Battery Range on Your E-bike

Since its beginning, electric bike riding has been becoming more exciting. A study has shown that over 40 million people from the US participate in mountain bike riding annually. It means over 10% population of the US is involved in mountain bike riding. The market for mountain bikes is also growing day after day.

Today mountain bike riding follows a variety of disciplines, including cross-country & trail riding, enduro riding, downhill riding, trials riding, dirt jumping riding, and slopestyle riding. Several factors are found contributing to the performance of an electric mountain bike. Out of them, battery range is one of the leading concerns.

While riding an electric mountain bike, several factors affect its battery range. Here we come up with the potential factors affecting its battery range along with the potential tips to extend your e-bike’s battery life. So, let’s start here; 

What you will

learnfrom this

article


About Ebikes

  • 6 Factors that will affect the battery range of the electric bike
  • 13 Tips to increase battery range

  1. 6 Factors that will affect the battery range of the electric bike

 1. Weather conditions (temperature and wind)

The e-bike battery is sensitive to high temperatures as well as to lower temperatures. Consequently, your bike may not perform adequately in extreme weather conditions. Lithium-ion batteries perform best between 60- and 80-degrees Fahrenheit for Ebike. However, remember that the battery performance begins to degrade significantly below 40-degree Fahrenheit. Similarly, a temperature above 115 degrees Fahrenheit will also degrade the battery performance.

You need to keep your e-bike away from direct sunlight during the summer season, helping keep the battery cool. Consequently, your battery will deliver the best performance.


2. Terrain (elevation changes and road surface)

Biking up a sheer slope takes a little more effort than riding on a plane surface. Mountain bike riding, on average, considerably involves higher elevation than commuting, reflecting the battery size and power output of your e-bike. A flat, fast-rolling pitch surface allows a single charged battery to travel more than soft, rough, undulating woodland or hilly areas. The terrain you are using to travel will also determine how often you are using brakes, negating the energy produced by your battery.


3. Conditions of your components (including tire pressure)

One of the most important bike life hacks is to keep your e-bike tires pumped up. As the motor has to work harder with low tires, it significantly drains your battery. Keeping your tires at the proper pressure helps prolong the life of your e-bike tires, avoiding the sluggish ride.


4. Riding style (including acceleration, cadence and gear use)

What your riding style is? It directly affects the life of your battery as well as other components of your e-bike. Frequent starts and stops take a lot of battery energy power. Every time you want to go forward, instead of turning on the high assistance level, move to a lower gear, aiding your bike to start. It may slow down your starting speed, but it will substantially influence preserving your Ebike battery.

Avoiding sudden acceleration will help save battery life as it draws an energy burst released from your bike battery. In addition, it will render increase power consumption time, reducing your bike battery range. As well as this, relying on motor assistance to help you gain speed will consume more battery power.


5. The total weight (rider and cargo)

Heavier bicycles and rider’s weights can significantly reduce the range of your mountain bike battery. Every time you try to transport cargo, keep in mind that you will have to boost your assistance level or pedal, reducing the battery faster. Also, the greater the rider’s and cargo’s weight, the more energy will be consumed from the battery supply, minimizing the travel distance. That is why the e-bikes with lower weight have the edge over the bikes with a heavyweight.


6. How You Use Power

The way you use the battery power directly influences battery life. Obviously, more use of batteries will consume more energy, reducing battery lifespan. In addition, extra accessories of an electric bike, like front light and brake light, will integrate into the battery power. The constant use of these additional features can reduce battery life, affecting the bike range. When it is not necessary, avoid using the extra accessories.


2. 13 Tips to increase battery range

1. Less tire pressure, more traction

A common myth claims that tires with high pressures lead to less-rolling resistance. Once you are off-road, this could be farther from the truth. The tire pressure is crucial while climbing, helping transfer the motor powers to the ground. Skidding and loss of traction are going to sap your range. Depending upon your weight and ride style, you can choose 0.9 – 1.3 bar for plus-size tires; however, for 2.4 inches wider tires, the best recommendation is between 1.6 and 2.0 bar.


2. Use the Right Gear

Almost all electric bikes have multiple gears, allowing and enabling riders to adjust the pedaling process according to the terrain needs. This is why gears play the most vibrant role, especially in mountain bikes. Gear shifting makes it easy to climb on uneven and steep terrain. But, shifting gear at the wrong time will consume the extra energy from your battery. Therefore, you need to take care of the following things when gearing your mountain bike, helping save your battery power:

Don’t shift gears while stationary

Before you stop, shift to a lower gear

Anticipate the terrain

Avoid shift gear too quickly

Remember that your e-bike will work the best when you work and contribute efficiently.


3. Drag And Resistance

Avoid riding on the terrain or surfaces where there are more obstacles and resistance in the way. The surfaces with resistance will take more effort to ride a bike. This effort will directly consume the power of your battery. Whether you are a professional mountain bike rider or just shifting to this passion, you need to make things a little easier, helping you and your mountain bike perform well.

You need to consider three major things to get a resistance-free ride. First, you need to choose the right tires according to the terrain you intend to ride. Secondly, never ignore the tire pressure. Keeping hard pressure is not always sufficient. When you ride on cobbled, gravely, or rough surfaces, it means your bike bounces more, using extra energy from the battery supply. Keep the pressure lower, enabling tires to eat up the bumps and propel you forward. Thirdly, you have to lube your chain regularly, helping perform your e-bike perform more accurately and smoothly.


4. Ride slower

Do you think that your riding speed significantly affects the power consumption from your e-bike battery? The more you pedal your bike; the more energy will be consumed. It will help if you take the idea from the pros and professional mountain bike trainers to know what speed level will be best for you at a particular terrain.

Experts suggest a smooth, good pedaling technique indeed enhances your battery range. Sudden acceleration can significantly put a workload on the battery, reducing the bike range. Ensure that your ride is smooth and you are accelerating the ride accordingly.


5. Momentum

Starting and stopping, getting up steep inclines, and going around switchbacks all require a lot of energy. The more you keep the bike moving; the less energy will consume, helping enhance your battery range. Try to pick a smooth line and avoid riding on big rocks and routes that slow you down. The flattest and wildest line may look like a long-distance, but it will allow you to hold a regular speed requiring less energy.


6. Open your suspension

Have you ever heard about lock-out your suspension? Well, when it comes to talking about an Ebike, the concept of locking out your suspension is redundant. It does not only reduce comfort, but it does also eat into your range. Ensure that your suspension is opened and correctly set up, enabling the bike to roll over obstacles.


7. Choose the right Mode

Choosing the right mode means you have to use the assistance only when needed. Otherwise, putting them off is a wise decision, helping save the energy of your bike. While putting your bike into a higher setting for a shorter time, use more energy, even in ECO. When you need to use less energy, ensure that you turn and use less torque in a higher assistance mode for a shorter period.


8. Well oiled

Keep in mind that friction is an enemy of range, especially when talking about an e-bike with gears. If your chain is not working smoothly, your battery is at higher risk of losing more energy. A clean and well-oiled drivetrain is crucial for an e-bike to perform well. It is advisable to pat a chain with a dry cloth and slightly oil it after every ride.


9. Optimal cadence

For an electric mountain bike to perform well, cadence is crucial. Motors with around 75 pedals per minute are considered the most efficient performance. The fewer pedal stroke with slow Cadence makes your ride will come to an end earlier. If you need to end up with the maximum efficiency, you need to adjust your cadence that suits the cadence zones set by the motor manufacturers.


10. Hit the corners at speed

Because of how much energy is expanded, you need to do it speedily while hitting the corners, helping save your battery in the long run. Try to ride on the flattest part on the corners, also known as the outside. It may feel like a longer route, but it will surely help conserve energy.


11. A circular pedal stroke

It is considered a waste of fuel when you drive with your feet on the gas irregularly. It is not an exceptional case with electronic mountain bikes. The more reliable and crucial pedal strokes help transfer a balanced signal to the motor, and consequently, it saves energy.


12. Less weight, more range

The total weight, including riders’ weight, bike weight, and the weight of other components, all play the most vibrant role in the range. The primary tip to reduce heavyweight is to sort out your needs. Check what the environment is and what do you need to cope with this particular environment. Do not let the things in the bag that are not necessary. As well as this, riding light will also help riders commute for long without getting tired.


13. No tube, fewer problems

While having a conventional tube in the tires of your e-bike, there are high chances of puncturing, increasing the chances of a decrease in the range. Choosing an e-bike with no tubes will make the tires more capable of adapting the terrain and sopping up uneven trails, helping you roll over bumps more precisely. As well as this, there is no more problem of maintaining the pressure for the mountain bike tires.


3. Conclusion


The battery is a primary feature for an electric bike to perform well and accordingly. Higher the battery range will bring more chances of the maximum range. We see certain factors affect the range of batteries, and this article shows you all the potential factors. Having an idea of these obstacles or factors will enable you to overcome their impacts.

As well as this, we have also provided you with the potential tips by adopting which you can maximize your battery range, allowing you to have a long riding experience with no worries. What you do and what you don’t do is all mentioned here. Before pedaling your e-bike, ensure that you have done all these battery pre-checks to provide your bike with a more extended battery range.