E-Bike Range Calculator

How Far Can an E-Bike Go on One Charge?

A typical 2026 commuter e-bike with a 500 Wh battery goes 20–80 miles on a single charge, depending almost entirely on how much the motor helps. Eco mode stretches range past 50 miles; Turbo mode cuts it to under 20. The number on the sales page ("up to 80 miles!") is the Eco number for a 165 lb rider on flat ground — your real-world range will be lower. This calculator uses the physics behind e-bike energy use to estimate what your setup actually delivers.

Range is fundamentally battery capacity (Wh) divided by energy use (Wh/mi). A 500 Wh battery at 15 Wh/mi delivers 33 miles; at 25 Wh/mi it delivers 20 miles. The four levers that move Wh/mi are assist level (the biggest), rider+cargo weight, terrain, and weather/wind. Our calculator multiplies a base Wh/mi by each factor — base by assist (Eco 10, Tour 14, Sport 20, Turbo 28), × weight factor (weight/180), × terrain factor (flat 1.0, rolling 1.15, hilly 1.35, steep 1.6), × wind/temp factor (ideal 1.0, cold 1.15, headwind 1.2). The result is a defensible estimate, not a marketing claim.

Wh/mi — the only number that matters

Watt-hours per mile (Wh/mi) is the e-bike equivalent of MPG. Lower is better. A pedaling human on a flat road at 15 mph adds maybe 100 W; a hub motor adds 250–750 W. The harder the motor works (more assist, more weight, more hill), the more Wh per mile you burn. Eco mode on a mid-drive e-bike typically runs 8–12 Wh/mi because you're pedaling hard and the motor just tops you up. Turbo mode on the same bike runs 22–32 Wh/mi because the motor is doing most of the work against the wind. The 3–4× spread is why assist level dominates range more than any other variable.

How weight changes range

Energy use scales roughly linearly with total weight on rolling terrain. Our calculator uses weight/180 as the factor — a 200 lb rider+cargo combo uses 1.11× the energy of a 180 lb baseline; a 250 lb rider uses 1.39×. Cargo e-bikes carrying 100 lb of kid+trailer gear can hit 1.6× baseline energy use, which is why they ship with 750–1,000 Wh batteries. If you're a heavier rider or carry cargo, expect proportionally lower range than the marketing number.

Terrain and weather: the hidden range killers

Hills cost energy going up that you don't fully recover going down (regen is rare on e-bikes). Our terrain factors — flat 1.0, rolling 1.15, hilly 1.35, steep 1.6 — reflect real-world data from GPS power-meter studies. A hilly commute can cut range by 25–35% versus the same distance flat. Cold matters because lithium-ion batteries lose usable capacity below 40°F — a 500 Wh battery behaves like a 425 Wh battery at 30°F. Headwinds are brutal because aerodynamic drag scales with the square of relative wind speed; a 15 mph headwind at 18 mph riding speed means 33 mph of drag, roughly doubling energy use. That's why our wind factor is 1.2 for headwind and 1.15 for cold.

2026 battery sizes

The market has moved toward bigger batteries as standard. 250–350 Wh: budget hub-motor e-bikes, folding e-bikes, lightweight city e-bikes — range 15–35 mi. 500–625 Wh: mainstream mid-drive commuters (Trek Verve+, Specialized Turbo Vado, Gazelle) — range 25–60 mi. 750 Wh: long-range commuters and touring e-bikes — range 35–80 mi. 1,000–1,500 Wh: cargo e-bikes (RadWagon, Tern GSD, Yuba) — range 30–60 mi hauling heavy loads. Dual-battery setups (Bosch Range Extender, Specialized SL extender) push past 1,250 Wh for tourers.

How to extend your range

• Drop an assist level. The single biggest lever. Tour instead of Sport adds 40–60% to your range.
• Pedal harder. The motor tops up your effort; if you put in 150 W instead of 80 W, the motor does ~half the work and range roughly doubles.
• Inflate tires to spec. Underinflated tires waste 5–15% of energy. Run 50–60 psi for commuter tires, higher for slicks.
• Avoid stop-and-go. Each acceleration from a stop burns 5–10× the energy of steady cruising. Routes with fewer stops extend range.
• Keep the battery warm. In winter, store the bike indoors and charge at room temperature. A cold battery delivers 15–25% less range.
• Charge to 80% for daily use, 100% for big rides. Storing at 100% degrades the battery faster; 80% extends cycle life and is plenty for most commutes.

Bottom line: expect 20–80 miles of real range from a 500 Wh battery depending on assist level, weight, terrain and weather. Bigger batteries (750–1,000 Wh) on cargo and touring e-bikes push that to 40–100 miles. Run your numbers in the calculator above, then check our e-bike commute savings calculator to confirm the bike you're considering can cover your daily round trip on a single charge — with margin to spare.