No one likes the idea of being stranded somewhere, but luckily for ebike riders, running out of battery during a ride is not as dramatic a car running out of fuel!
Why is this then? What does happen when an ebike runs out of battery mid-ride?
The odds are you’ll probably be ok but before we get into why, let’s take a quick look at the role of the battery in an ebike:
Ebike batteries are essentially the only thing stopping a normal, unassisted bike from becoming an ebike. Even though the concept might seem quite futuristic, after all bicycles have been around since 1817, ebikes are actually simpler than a lot of people would think.
Your Ebike Battery Died, Now What?
You might have already pieced together the answer to this one. When your ebike battery dies whilst you’re out on a ride, you have two options:
Option A.) Hop off your bike and push it alongside you until you reach home (or wherever else you’re going).
Option B.) Keep pedalling!
The option to keep pedalling means that if your ebike runs out of battery, you can continue to use it as a conventional bike, pedalling to propel yourself.
Odds are, you already use your ebike as a conventional bike some of the time, and at the end of the day, the battery is there more to assist your pedalling than to completely replace it anyway!
Running out of battery simply turns your ebike into a normal bike, from power-assisted to unassisted.
Are There Any Risks Involved?
While there might not be any direct risk to your own health or safety, there are a couple of things to think about when planning your next ride. Keeping these factors in mind will help you to maximise your ebike’s lifespan as well as ensure your continued health and safety.
Frequently Running Out of Battery
Overestimating the Battery
Knowing Yourself
Ways to Avoid Running Out of Battery Too Quickly
While it might be unavoidable some of the time, there are ways to make sure you don’t run out of battery too quickly or too often when riding your ebike.
Monitor Battery Levels and Shift Gear
Avoid Riding on Low Battery
Minimise the Weight Your Ebike Carries
Use the Right Tires for Your Journey
Maintain Your Ebike Battery Properly
On a Balance
Ebikes offer an excellent low-impact alternative to conventional cycling and the introduction of battery power is a simple way of providing this. Ebikes are fairly fool-proof and their batteries generally have a long life and can hold a lot of charge.
Like everything else in this world, ebikes are not perfect and unfortunately, they do run out of battery from time to time. This is by no means the end of the world and the most likely scenario is that you’ll be able to pedal your ebike home if you do find yourself out of battery.
There are many ways to help your ebike battery to last longer, both in the long term and on each individual ride. By taking a few precuations and following the tips explored above, you can maximise your battery’s efficiency and durability.
Take care of your ebike battery and it will take care of you!
Hi I've enjoyed reading your topics on E bikes as I'm considering buying The Riverside 540 model from Decathlon,which seems to have had a pretty good review.Ive often cycled for leisure on a conventional bike, but age and where I live in Wales (Hilly!) are all catching up with me.
With regard to running out of battery power, is it possible to buy an extra spare battery particularly for that model? Thanks in anticipation of your reply