Frequently Asked Questions About Electric Bikes
Why get an electric bike?
Power – Electric bikes give you more power. You’ll get there faster compaired to a regular bike and park for free.
Easy – Uphill and headwinds will be a breeze.
No Sweat – No sweaty arrival – unless you want to pedal.
Safer – Higher safety with quicker acceleration.
More Ability – Great for people with past injuries or joint problems.
More Activity – Owners ride more often and ride further with their eBike than they do with their unpowered bike.
So much more fun then a regular bike – it has power!!
And you can easily:
Commute
Take the kids
Do errands
Explore further
Business – deliveries, police and security services, large facilities
How fast can an ebike go?
If you just pedal you can go as fast as you can power it yourself. In the US throttle assist can legally be ridden up to 20 mph. But the bike may have the ability to go faster – up to 28 mph.
Why not faster?
If an electric bicycle was faster they would be regulated like a motor vehicle. You’d need license, registration, insurance. And you’d be limited to where you could ride your ebike.
What’s the range – how far?
With a variety of factors you’d get about 20-30 miles from a charge. It depends on road conditions, types of terrain. Are you riding on hills? Even headwinds are a factor. What’s your weight combined with your cargo? Are you using pedal power or the throttle?
What is their power?
In the US electric bikes usually range from 250 watts to 750 watts.
How much time does it take to charge the battery?
eBike batteries will charge in about 3 to 6 hours. This depends on your battery size and how much charge you had when you began recharging.
How many charges can I expect out of a battery?
A typical ebike battery in the US are lithium ion. These will be good for at least 500 full charges. Riding in pedal assist most of the time you can expect to get 10-30 thousand miles out of a battery.
Does my pedalling charge the battery?
Some bikes will, but you’d have to pedal your ass off! Really.
Will I get any exercise on an electric bike?
Yes! It’s up to you how much power assist you use.
What do they weigh?
Electric bikes are typically 45 pounds to 60 pounds. More and less depending on the bike. A folding bike can be lighter. An electric trike can be more.
What is Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3 electric bikes?
This is a system used to regulate electric bikes.
Class 1 electric bicycle is equipped with a motor that provides assistance while pedaling. It doesn’t go over 20 mph unless you provide the power. Class 1 doesn’t have a throttle.
Class 2 electric bicycle has a motor that will propel the bike without pedaling. And won’t propel the bike over 20mph.
Class 3 electric bicycle has a motor that assists only when peadling. And won’t propel the bike over 28 mph.
Maximum power is 750 watts which is equal to 1h.p.
What about wattage?
250 watts and 500 watts are plenty of power. The higher the wattage the higher the power consumption the bigger the battery needed.