Electric Bike Basics

The Complete Guide to Electric Bike Batteries

December 16, 2020

The battery on an electric bike is arguably one of the most important features, as it is the sole reason why you buy an electric bike– to be able to go further and faster than you would be able to on a regular bike. The real question is, how far can you go exactly? The answer is dependent on a lot of factors, but understanding how the battery works is the first step.

The Basics of Batteries

When you are first shopping for an electric bike, choosing which battery is best for your needs can be a daunting task; however, it is not as complex as it may seem. The first thing to know is electric bike batteries are categorized by both volts and amp-hours.

Electric bike batteries for Pedego come in both 36V and 48V, with the ‘V’ corresponding to the number of volts in the battery. The amount of volts in a battery is synonymous with what horsepower is in a car. For instance, the higher the number of volts in the battery, the more power your bike will get. The advantage of a higher voltage is that it has increased power, which in turn, can have your Pedego go faster for a longer duration of time.

The other component of an electric bike battery is amp-hours or AH. Amp-hours corresponds to the measure of current the battery can deliver in one hour at a usable voltage or the measure of capacity your battery has. In short, the higher your amp-hours are, the greater distance you will be able to travel.

Putting it Together

Unfortunately, there is not one standard way to determine the potential range each battery will have; yet, there is a simple math problem you can calculate to help you predict how far you will be able to go on the battery you choose. Since all batteries have both a voltage and amp-hour rating, if you multiply the two together you get watt-hours. Watt-hours is an objective measurement of the actual amount of energy stored in any battery.

Volt x Amp-hours = Watt-hours

Completing this math equation will give you a range of how far you can go, but in order to calculate the exact number of miles, it may be a little more complicated. This is because many outside factors can play a role in the actual distance your battery will be able to travel. For instance, if you are riding up a lot of hills, into a headwind, or have a lot of cargo weight on your bike these factors can decrease the range of your battery. Also, which pedal assist setting you are on, the outdoor conditions you are riding in, the age of your battery, and the condition of your bike, are all factors to consider when calculating your estimated battery range. On average, you can expect to use between 12 and 24 watt-hours per mile; however, this number can fluctuate depending on the influence of external factors.

Electric bike battery chart

Listed below are the battery options for each of Pedego’s bike models:

36V 10AH or 36V 15AH

Comfort Cruiser
City Commuter: Lite Edition
Latch

36V 11AH

Trail Tracker Classic
Trike

48V 10AH or 48V 15AH

Element (48V 10AH only)
Interceptor Classic, Step-Thru, and Platinum
Boomerang Classic and Platinum
City Commuter Classic, Mid-Drive, and Platinum
Tandem

48V 14AH

Trail Tracker Classic
Trail Tracker: Gorilla Edition
Ridge Rider

48V 17AH

Stretch

When making your choice on which battery to get, there is no need to stress because any Pedego battery should last longer than you want to ride! Still, have questions? Feel free to reach out to your local dealer or contact the Pedego tech team at (800) 646-8604, option 2.