Maximising battery range

[RobF]

I wondered how many miles I could wring out of the 11ah battery on my Rose/Bosch bike.

To this end, I set off on my Whitley Bay circuit on eco setting - assistance level one of four.

There are five bars on the battery meter and each lasts for more or less the same distance.

On eco, I got just over 17 miles from each of the first two bars, I was home not many miles after that.

This gives a possible range of 85 miles, although battery anxiety would likely set in 10 miles earlier.

Eco is harder work than I would like, although I mitigated this to a degree by going more slowly and making more use of the gears.

The next setting, tour, is much easier and gives about 10 or 11 miles a bar - about a 50 mile range.

I've not tried sport or turbo, but I'd guess at under 40 and under 30 miles respectively.

Seventy or 80 miles on eco in one ride would be a stretch for me, but I imagine a slightly fitter and lighter rider could do it.

 

[amigafan2003]

Don't plug in the battery - you'll be amazed at the range!

 

[RobF]

Don't plug in the batter - you'll be amazed at the range!

Not eating the batter would do more for your range.

 

[Artstu]

Rob do you think a none powered bike would be easier to ride than yours in eco? I've ridden mine in eco when I've realised I'm not going to make it home with any battery left if I stay in higher settings. Eco up the hills seems to just about make up for the heavier bike for me.

 

[RobF]

Rob do you think a none powered bike would be easier to ride than yours in eco? I've ridden mine in eco when I've realised I'm not going to make it home with any battery left if I stay in higher settings. Eco up the hills seems to just about make up for the heavier bike for me.

I wondered the same myself, but having ridden 40+ miles on eco, the assistance does do a fair bit more than make up for the weight.

There was a burst of quite strong assistance on one hill when, I think, I got the cadence up a bit.

 

[103Alex1]

I've ridden mine in eco when I've realised I'm not going to make it home with any battery left if I stay in higher settings. Eco up the hills seems to just about make up for the heavier bike for me.

I'm the same, Artstu - have just made that very same point on another thread before reading this. I only find the equivalent of highest power assist setting fun to ride on hills nowadays. So I reckon 1000Wh is about the right battery capacity for long faster hilly rides of 35-odd miles, which will feel like doing about 25-35 in flattish terrain unpowered on a road bike... but in far nicer surroundings

 

[RobF]

I'm the same, Artstu - have just made that very same point on another thread before reading this. I only find the equivalent of highest power assist setting fun to ride on hills nowadays. So I reckon 1000Wh is about the right battery capacity for long faster hilly rides of 35-odd miles, which will feel like doing about 25-35 in flattish terrain unpowered on a road bike... but in far nicer surroundings

I wouldn't describe my eco test as 'fun'.

As things stand, the only way to have a long ride with carefree use of the assistance is to carry a spare battery.

The Bosch battery is fairly compact and a spare would sit nicely on the carrier.

What wouldn't sit nicely with me is the cost of buying another battery.

 

[103Alex1]

What wouldn't sit nicely with me is the cost of buying another battery.

Exactly - for two and a half grand you'd expect 25-30Ah worth of batteries in the package and in time this will be readily achievable. The cost of these batteries is way over and above what it ought to be. The size needs to come down, charge time too (by about 40%) and the capacity doubled.

Spare batteries are a PITA to carry about on a leisure ride as they need to go inside a rack bag. In a side pannier they will affect the weight distribution and affect the riding stability. In a rucksack they are just a burden .. riding free of stuff on your person is a million times better especially when climbing.

The technology is there to get 800-1000Wh batteries easily mounted in the triangle. But it's far more profitable spanking punters for hundreds of pounds more once they've bought their expensive bikes !

... and on that note I'm off for a ride. This weather is really too good to pass up !

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Batteries don't go down uniformly so you can't multiply by five.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[RobF]

Batteries don't go down uniformly so you can't multiply by five.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

As I posted, the Bosch battery's meter does go down fairly uniformly, certainly the first four bars, so multiplying, less a little bit, is a reasonable methodology.

Seventeen x 5 = 85, which is why I said '70 or 80' miles would be possible.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Try it, and tell us the answer. Then we'll all know!

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[RobF]

Try it, and tell us the answer. Then we'll all know!

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

I have tried it, several times, on tour setting.

Seems to me the battery meter is one of the better-engineered features of the bike.

The traffic light meter on my Brompton Nano behaves as you describe.

One light out and the battery is about 70 per cent used.

When the second light goes out you could measure the remaining range in yards, not miles.