Electric Bike Sales - FAQs
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the range of an
electric bike?
The range of a fully charged battery
varies. It is usually between 12 to 30 miles with gentle pedalling.
The Voltage and Capacity (measured in Amp Hours) give an indication
of the range. Motors with a higher nominal power rating may
offer more hill climbing ability (torque) but will reduce the
range.
Most of the power is drained when moving off and on hills
so pedalling at these points will preserve the power.
Distance
varies with the weight and size of the rider and the terrain
encountered:
Smooth, Clean, and Dry Pavement – Excellent
Range
Rough Pavement, Gravel, and Packed Dirt – Reduced
Range
Grass and Loose Dirt – Greatly Reduced Range.
Mud –
Might as well walk.
Snow – Get off the bike, and go home :-)
If
you have specific requirements it is best to talk to us and get some
advice before spending your hard earned cash.
2. How fast will it go?
To
gain exemption from road tax, road insurance, MOT tests, vehicle
registration, the requirement of a driving licence and wearing a
motorcycle helmet the speed under power is restricted to 15 miles per
hour. They can of course be cycled beyond this speed.
To go faster
requires more power, so a more powerful motor is required to go
faster. And motors are “wound” or designed to operate at a
specific speed. For example, a motor that is intended for a 20”
wheel must turn much faster than a motor intended for a 26” wheel
to achieve the 15 mph UK limit.
Because of this, just being
powerful is not enough to gain higher speed. It is possible to have a
powerful motor that will not turn any faster - limiting speed.
A
160 watt motor intended for a 50 kg office lady in Shanghai who
cannot go faster (by law) than 12 mph is not going to help a 90 kg
European go 15 MPH. Most electric bike motors are, in fact, designed
for places where people are smaller and bikes are limited in
speed.
Like people – as batteries age, their performance
decreases. (Actually, in the first 25 or so charge / discharge
cycles, many batteries get better, and then start a gradual decline).
If the battery has been poorly treated – such as heavy use
(deep discharge cycles, non pedal assisted starts), the wrong
charger, stored in a hot damp place, exposed to excessive cold, then
the performance will suffer.
3. Do I need to
pedal?
Strictly speaking when on the road the law requires
you to pedal with the power assisting your pedalling (PAS), however
on most models you have a throttle which can be used without
pedalling or in conjunction with the pedals.
Hills slow you down
so you need to pedal to maintain speed, although bikes designed for
hill climbing are improving all the time.
4. What are the running
costs?
Other than charging the batteries at a cost of
approximately 7 pence per full charge there are no other significant
running costs. You should carry out basic maintenance as you would
with a normal pedal cycle, however the electronic parts of the bikes
are designed to be trouble and maintenance free.
5. How can I tell a good
electric bike from a bad electric Bike?
Clicking
here will take you to our buying guide!
6. Does the battery recharge when
I pedal?
We are asked this question by almost every
customer. The answer that applies to most electric bicycles is no but
you do preserve the battery power by pedalling! There are a few
exceptions using re-gen for braking but this technology adds weight,
more expensive components, and the benefit is pretty negligible
considering bike stopping distances and the power lost in the
system.
Re-gen is slang for “Regenerative”. Some motors
(direct drive) can generate electricity when the rider propels the
bike by pedalling, or while when going down hill or braking.
A
motor and a generator are actually the same thing. If you turn a
motor shaft, you will generate electricity. If you energized a
generator you would get a motor.
So on an electric bike that does
not have a planetary transmission, or a free-wheel between the motor
and the hub, and has a controller that will allow the motor to become
a generator – you can have re-gen.
Re-gen, however, is not as
useful as it sounds. To recharge the bike while riding requires you
to ride a long way against the resistance of the motor. You must
create more work (due to efficiency losses) to recharge the battery
than the work that the energy in the battery can do through the
motor. (Awkward to explain.) Basically, you have to work harder to
charge the battery enough to propel the bike 10 miles than it would
have taken you to ride 10 miles by yourself.
So for most
purposes, Re-gen captures a small, very small, amount of extra range.
Maybe 50 meters in a 20 mile ride.
7. Are there any UK laws I need
to be aware of?
The UK law differs slightly from the EU
law and hence there is some confusion but if you adhere to the
following you should be acting within our current regulatory
guidelines.
· average continuous motor power output no more
than 200 watts
· maximum speed under power 15 mph.
· must
have functioning pedals.
· the use of a throttle is
currently allowed.
· weight must not be more than 40 kg
unless a tandem or tricycle.
· riders age must be at least
14 years of age. (sorry kids, your time will come)
*NB* Laws can
and do change without prior warning. These are accurate at the time
of writing and we shall endeavour to keep them up-to-date.
For those of you with a real thirst for information and a bit of time on your hands follow the link below to the draft European Standard likely to pass into law shortly.
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Ebikes in the Press
Click to read:
Oct 2009 The Guardian.... in defence of Electric Cycling!
Dec 2008 The Sun features the Vectrix VX-1 and interviews our Cambridge shop manager Alan about this performance electric motorcycle.
Jan 2008 London is about to go cycle crazy!
Aug 2007 Eddie appears in a 60 second Sky documentary featuring people and technology shaping our green future
May 2007 The Electric Transport Shop appear in the Cambridge Evening News and the Weekly news to launch the Vectrix. (link expired)
Jan 2007
We are the featured specialist retailer in this months Enjoy Your Bike
cycling magazine which can be found in Sainsburys and newsagents (link expired)
18/04/06 The Mayor of Cambridge John Hipkin comes to see why we are the talk of the town