“How long will the battery last” or “How much range does Elevate have” are questions we receive almost daily. To a new rider, this is an important question to help determine whether Elevate will fit well into their normal riding routines. Unfortunately, there is not a simple, easy answer to this question. At a high level, the run time of the battery can be calculated by dividing the amount of energy that the battery can store (in Watt-hours) by the average power consumption of the e-system (Watts). However, the amount of power being used and how far that power carries the rider varies widely based on many factors including, but not limited to: rider weight, bike weight, gear/cargo weight, tire width, tire tread pattern, tire air pressure, type of surface you are riding on, air temperature, how steep the terrain is, speed, and how hard the rider is pushing on the pedals. Some companies have a complicated online tool that asks a bunch of questions to give a reasonably accurate estimate of range. Others give an “up to” range, which is often based on a reasonably fit, lighter weight rider pedaling in eco mode and does not match typical user results.
In general, the efficiency of the systems are close enough that range is going to be similar between brands when using similar power settings or when a group of riders rides together using different brands of bikes and e-systems. When using Elevate and riding with friends on production ebikes, you can also expect to consume battery energy at a similar rate. The Elevate battery pack has a similar amount of energy to an “SL” type ebike and 40-50% as much energy as common “full power” ebikes; however, Elevate battery packs are small, lightweight, and easy to carry in a riding pack to swap mid ride, allowing you to bring the amount of battery you need on any given ride.
With this in mind, we have put together the chart below to make a comparison between commonly available e-bikes on the market.
Battery & Range Comparison by Type: