What does my electric bike consume?

Problems of traffic jams and parking are a thing of the past; you can manage climbs or long distances with the wind in your face without difficulties, whether or not you’re a sporty type: electric bikes bring many advantages!

The other side of the coin is that they have to be recharged and this adds to your energy bill... But how much will it cost you?

Three things worth knowing

To calculate the cost of recharging your battery, you need to know:

1. the voltage (in volts): this determines the feeling of power when riding the bicycle.
2. The capacity (in amps-hour): this variable determines the battery life.
3. the cost of your electricity in kWh: in Brussels, reckon on about €0.20/kWh at full rate and €0.15/kWh dual night rate.

You will find the first two pieces of data written on the battery or in the manual for your electric bike.

Calculate the cost of recharging

To calculate the cost of recharging your electric bike battery, simply:

1. multiply the voltage (V) and the charging capacity (Ah) of the battery. This gives you the energetic capacity (Wh) of the battery.
   
   V x Ah = Wh
   e.g. : 36 volt x 10Ah = 360Wh = 0.36kWh
    
2. multiply the result obtained by the cost per kWh and you get the cost for completely recharging the battery.
   
   e.g.: 0.36 kWh x €0.20/kWh = €0.072 for a full charge

Specific example of the recharging cost

In the table below we compared the cost of recharging 2 bikes: one with a voltage of 25 V and the other with a voltage of 36 V.

We have also taken into account a price per kWh of €0.20.h.

Take into account your usage of the bike and the type of bike chosen

Obviously, the use you make of your bike (occasional or daily) and the type of model chosen will have a direct influence on the consumption and cost of your electric bike.