Understanding Ebike Range

One of the first questions riders often have about electric bikes is, “How far can I go on a single charge?” The answer depends on several factors — terrain, rider weight, pedal assistance level, and, crucially, the battery’s capacity. Understanding the battery capacity is key to estimating range, but you’ll often see two different metrics thrown around: watt-hours (Wh) and amp-hours (Ah). So what’s the difference, and which one should you focus on when estimating range? Let’s dive in.

Many riders new to ebikes focus on amp-hours because it’s a simpler metric to understand. However, as we’ve seen, amp-hours alone don’t provide the whole story. For example, a 15Ah battery could have a lower voltage (say, 36V) and thus fewer watt-hours than a 10Ah battery with a higher voltage (say, 48V). Relying solely on amp-hours can lead to overestimating a battery’s range if the voltage isn’t taken into account.

Always look for watt-hours first if you want a quick way to estimate potential range based on battery specs. Watt-hours measure actual energy capacity, which means they directly correlate to range in a way that amp-hours do not.

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