How far will it really go?

An e-bike range calculator estimates how far an electric bike will travel on a single charge based on its battery size and your riding conditions. Instead of repeating the optimistic figure on the box, our calculator adjusts for the factors that actually drain a battery, such as assist level, terrain, rider weight, tyres, temperature and pace, then gives you a realistic distance band.

Range is battery capacity in watt-hours divided by energy consumption in watt-hours per kilometre. We start from a base consumption set by your assist level (roughly 7 Wh/km in Eco up to 20 Wh/km in Turbo) and multiply it by factors for terrain, weight, tyres, temperature and speed. Dividing your battery's watt-hours by that adjusted consumption gives the estimated range.

Manufacturers measure range under ideal conditions: a light rider on flat ground in mild weather using the lowest assist mode at a gentle pace. Change any of those and the number drops. In real-world riding the gap is usually 30 to 40 percent, which is why our calculator models your actual setup rather than the lab test.

A watt-hour is the honest measure of battery capacity because it combines voltage and amp-hours. To find it, multiply volts by amp-hours: a 36 V, 14 Ah battery is 504 Wh. Watt-hours are the figure to compare between bikes, since two batteries with the same claimed range can hold very different amounts of energy.

Assist level is the single biggest lever on range. Eco mode might use around 7 Wh/km while Turbo can use 20 Wh/km or more, so riding mostly in lower modes can extend your distance by 40 to 80 percent. Saving high power for genuine climbs and cruising in Eco or Tour on the flat is the easiest way to go further.

Yes. More weight takes more energy to accelerate and to climb, so a heavier rider with loaded panniers will see shorter range than a light solo rider. As a rule of thumb, consumption rises by roughly one percent for every five kilograms above a typical baseline, and the effect is largest when weight is combined with hills.

Lithium-ion batteries lose available capacity in the cold. Below about 5 degrees Celsius you can expect 15 to 25 percent less range because the chemistry slows down. The capacity usually returns once the pack warms up, so the effect is seasonal rather than permanent. Storing and charging the battery indoors helps in winter.

Climbing converts battery energy directly into height, so hills are expensive. Rolling hills typically add around 25 percent to consumption versus flat ground, and steep or mountainous terrain can add 60 percent or more. If you live somewhere hilly, plan your range around the climbs rather than the average gradient.

Real-world range genuinely varies from day to day with weather, wind and how you ride, so a single number would be falsely precise. We show a band of roughly plus or minus 12 percent around the estimate to reflect that honest variance. The band is far more useful than a single optimistic figure when deciding if a bike covers your commute.

Ride in lower assist modes, keep your tyres at the correct pressure, pedal smoothly in a sensible gear, trim unnecessary weight, and warm the battery before winter rides. Choosing a larger battery or a more efficient mid-drive motor also helps. Our calculator lets you test each change and see the effect on your estimated distance.