What does an Electric Bike Really Cost to Run?

What does an Electric Bike Really Cost to Run?

If you’re thinking of buying an electric bike, you need to consider what it will cost to run and maintain your new purchase. Don’t worry, though; we’ve put together this handy guide, containing everything you need to know about the costs and savings associated with owning an electric bike.

Riding an electric bike is identical to riding a regular bike, with the exception that it includes a few extra parts and requires charging. If you ride your electric bike frequently, you'll need to service it and replace parts more frequently than if you ride a non-electric bike. This is due to the fact that you'll most likely be riding at higher speeds and for longer distances than usual, putting additional strain on your bike.

How Much Does It Cost to Charge an Electric BIke?

The length of time it takes to charge your electric bike is determined by the type of battery and charger it comes with. The Cruiser Bike comes 750 Watt motor with a 13.6 ah battery (or 652.8 watt hour battery) , as well as a normal 2 amp charger.

Depending on which combination of battery and charger you have, it will take between 4 and 6 hours to charge your battery. How often you’ll need to charge your battery depends on a number of factors, but the most significant are which electric bike system you’ve chosen and how you use the pedal assistance. A 300wh battery with average usage will generally take you between 15 mi and 30 mi  on a single charge, whereas 400wh battery will generally last between 20 mi and 40 mi  with average riding.

To figure out how much it will cost to charge your electric bike, find the capacity of your battery in Watt hours (Wh), convert Wh to kilowatt-hours (kWhs), then multiply that number by the unit price charged by your energy provider.

Here’s a sample computation on an electric cruiser bike

1. Get the capacity of the battery

The capacity of a battery is measured in Wh. If you don't know the Wh of your battery, simply multiply its Voltage (V) by the Amp hours (Ah). The formula is:

V x Ah = Wh

For example, the Cruiser Bike has a 48v 13.6 Ah battery.

48v x 13.6 Ah = 652.8Wh

2. Convert the capacity into kWhs

When billing customers, power companies commonly utilize kWhs – 1 kWh equals 1 unit of electricity. As a result, we'll need to convert the Wh (or the capacity of your battery, as established in Step 1 above) into kWh.

Simply divide the Wh by 1000 to get the kWh. The formula is:

Wh / 1000 = kWh

Based on this, the Cruiser Bike has 0.6528 kWh

3. Finally, multiply the kWh of your battery by the kWh rate of your electric company.

According to Statista (2018), power companies in the United States charge roughly 13 cents per kWh (or 13 cents per unit of electricity). This clearly varies by state and region; for example, in the United Kingdom, the average price per kWh is little over 17p (or 8 cents). Here’s the formula:

Your battery’s kWh x your cost per kWh = the cost to charge your ebike battery

So, based on this 13-cent average, completely charging our 0.6528 kWh (or 652.8 Wh) battery will cost $0.0849:

0.6528 kWh x 13 cents = $0.0849 to fully charge

The Cruiser Bike has a 50-mile range. $0.0849 is a small price to pay for a ride that’ll take you up to fifty miles on one battery charge.

SERVICING & MAINTENANCE

How often to service your bike depends on a variety of factors, including how many miles you ride, how regularly you ride, and what terrain you ride on. An electric bike has its own considerations. The additional electrical components will require more maintenance than on a non-electric bike because an electric bike typically goes faster and requires more force than a non-electric bike – but not to the point of breaking the bank. We've got you covered.

If you use your bicycle for commuting, you should have it serviced every two to three months. For leisurely rides, service every four to six months will be enough.

Some basic home maintenance can reduce the number of times you should send your bike for servicing. This can involve cleaning and lubricating the chain, checking all nuts and bolts are tight and cleaning off any mud or dust from the bike's moving parts. To find out more about our guide on electric bike maintenance, click here.

SAFETY EQUIPMENT

You should add safety equipment to your investment. Basic essentials such as helmet and lights are required in most areas and bike trails. You can find a helmet for around $20 but if you want something on the premium scale, it could set you back around $60. As for lights, you can purchase a set for $13 but we recommend getting something more durable around $30 to make sure you have good lighting.

You'll almost certainly want to buy a bike lock to safeguard your new bike from theft; we recommend spending at least $20 on one that can effectively protect your electric bike. Consider a Fingerprint Activated U-Lock that is a bit on the expensive side, but will guarantee your bike’s safety.

REPLACEMENT TIRES

Riding an ebike is so much fun, we guarantee you’d be riding more often than you used to. Your tires will eventually need replacement, and to be on the safe side, it’s always a good idea to have a spare (in case of emergencies).

Cheaper tires may seem like a good idea when first looking at the price, but you'll soon find that they wear down more quickly than decent ones. And that's not to mention that the extra speed from an electric bike means you'll be going faster over the same distance, so you want durable tires to help resist wear and tear. We always make sure to have stocks available in the warehouse, so you don’t have to worry about getting replacement parts in the future.

ARE THEY WORTH IT?

If you are worried about how much an electric bike will set you back, then the good news is that it probably won’t cost you as much as you think.  That’s because many of the costs of owning an electric bike are the same as those that you would have for a non-electric bike anyway.  You should also be aware that over time, an electric bike will cost you less than a car.  This is because e-bikes are cheaper to run year after year than a car; if your car can be replaced with an e-bike, you could save thousands of dollars over the years.

Fun Facts About Our Cruiser Bike

1000 miles on a Cruiser Bike is equal to:

➡ 1 Gallon of Diesel burned

➡ 1% of an average home's yearly energy

➡ 26.7 miles driven in an average passenger car

Is equivalent to:

➡ 40% of ONE bag of recycling vs trash in a landfill

➡ .13% of one acre of Forest land

➡ .4 incandescent light bulbs switched to LED's

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