Ebike Brands differ significantly in range

[EMTBNewbie]

Hey all,

New to the forum, my wife and I recently got ebikes and have been enjoying them very much so far. I got a new Specialized Turbo Levo and she got a Giant Liv Embolden. Prior to this I’ve only ridden haibikes that were loaned to me.

Ive noticed that the three brands I’ve ridden have all had notably different ranges on 500w batteries.

I started with Haibike and a common 15ish mile loop I would do on turbo could kill the battery. On the specialized it would bring it down to 40ish percent on turbo and the wife would only be down to 75%ish battery on hers.

What shocks me is the range in eco mode.We recently did a long range loop (48 miles), all flat mainly. In Eco mode, I killed the battery in around 32ish miles. My wife finished the 48 mile ride with half the battery left also in Eco mode. Now she is a good amount of weight, 70lbs or so lighter, but man I didn’t know it would be that big of a difference.

I recently switched to the 700wh battery and she still outlasts me on battery! I watched some range tests and guys are getting 40-45miles on eco (700wh) with the levos but up to 100miles on other brands like my wife did on the Giant. I rode the Giant too and man in eco mode it still goes way further with me on it then my turbo levo. The only thing I can think of is maybe because the levos put out 25% more torque then the other brands I’ve used?

Anyone else switch brands and notice a huge difference in range from the same battery size?

 

[JoeBlow]

I recently watched a video that showed just how much rider weight makes a difference. If the bikes are similar the difference is more likely to be the motor and the battery not the bike brand and it stands to reason that more power/torque means less battery life. I had a Trek Power Fly FS with a series 3 Bosch Motor and a 500w battery. My current Orbea has a Bosh Gen 4 and a 500w battery which is a far superior motor but does seem to use slightly more battery power. The heavier forks and brakes, 4 pot as opposed to 2 pot, also contribute.

Al

 

[EMTBNewbie]

That confirms my suspension, thanks, the more torque the more battery draw.

 

[Zimmerframe]

Rider weight will make a big difference - the motor/battery has to propel more along and up inclines.

However, you might want to check your Levo settings. The Eco on the Yamaha is set pretty low by default, so you (she'll) get good range.

On your levo, it's probably set higher. You can use Mission Control to reduce this from it's default settings, which will in turn give you more range. Also, check that you don't have "shuttle" turned on - where it helps you even more and try dropping acceleration response down if that's set high.

 

[EMTBNewbie]

Yea, I figured for sure the weight was a factor, working almost twice as hard once I have my hydration pack on. Thanks for the tips, I went into the app and lowered the percentages for eco mode, hopefully another long ride this weekend to test it out??

 

[RustyIron]

I think range is mostly dependent on how you ride the bike. If you're cranking along at high speeds with minimal pedal input, you'll blow through your battery pretty quickly. If you use the motor to supplement how you would normally ride, with more conservative speeds and more pedal input, your total mileage will be much further. Maybe your wife is just giving it more effort.

 

[EMTBNewbie]

Okay, so I lowered the eco mode down to 25% via mission control mobile application and ran mainly eco today on mainly flat roads, also pumped up the tires. 46miles with 38% battery left, very much impressed with that! My wife’s Giant still matched my battery usage with a 500wh battery my BUT she’s also nearly half my weight, so bike works half as hard. All said and done, I think eco came a little bit to strong from the factory compared to Giant like you guys mentioned and lowering 10% was noticeable in battery usage. I tried the smart control and found it to be very cool but seems like it shorts you in assistance to not risk running out. I think lowering the eco output, set and forget, will work better for me. Thanks for the info guys.

 

[Cory S]

I did a base range test on the wifes 2021 Giant Talon +3 29 Saturday. It only has a 400Wh battery and the SyncDrive Core motor. I rode 24 miles, and I climbed a total of 1900' in 2hrs 40min. I used all assist levels depending on inclines and my fatigue level etc. Used ECO 1/2 whenever possible. I only used 39% of the battery......... I am VERY impressed.