Make the most of your ride with these eight tips that will help improve your SONDORS range and squeeze out every last electron from your riding adventures. These simple riding style changes can have a huge impact on your e-bike’s range and provide you with the best bang for your buck!
It’s so much fun to squeeze the throttle to the max and fly off into the sunrise, but each time you accelerate, you’re using comparatively way more energy than just standard cruising. Instead of going full throttle when you want to get going, try to ease into the throttle and accelerate a bit slower. By taking a few seconds longer to get up to speed, you keep the amount of power used by your battery much lower. This not only leaves more energy in the battery for a longer ride, it also helps keep the battery cooler, which lets it use that same energy more efficiently. And better efficiency = better e-bike range.
Because throttle use is the heaviest pull of battery power on your e-bike, if you pedal for even a few seconds as you accelerate, you can cut your energy usage during that phase by as much as half. That translates into some pretty big energy savings, especially if you’re riding in a lot of stop-and-go traffic. Some of us get addicted to the throttle and prefer not to pedal, but think of it as a few seconds of free exercise that also extends your e-bike range–and keeps you from having to pedal later if your battery runs down.
This is your electric pedal assist. Whenever you have the opportunity to use the lowest PAS level, take advantage of it. For example, riding on a flat paved beach trail, you could use PAS Level 1. If you’re riding on a flat path with a few small hills, try using PAS Levels 2-3. Save PAS Levels 4-5 for the larger hills when needed. The level of PAS makes a huge difference in extending range.
When you know you’ll be coming to a stop ahead, such as before a traffic light or stop sign, let off the throttle in advance and coast to the stop. Riding full throttle until the moment you start braking is wasting precious battery energy. You’re coming to a stop anyway, so why not save your energy by cutting the throttle an extra 50 yards ahead of your stop?
If you aren’t in a hurry and you aren’t trying to keep up with traffic for safety reasons, try slowing down a bit. Even a couple miles per hour will make a significant decrease in the amount of energy you’re using to maintain that speed. Energy use vs speed isn’t linear, so dropping your speed by just 5% is actually saving a good deal more than 5% of your energy. In other words, slowing down a couple miles per hour can have a drastic effect on your e-bike range.
Tires kept at their maximum air pressure rating have less rolling resistance. This means your battery wastes less energy getting you moving. Studies conducted using car tires have consistently indicated an increase in range of about 3% by keeping them at proper pressure.
Lithium batteries, like any battery, will obviously get the most range when they’re completely topped off at 100% charge. You aren’t going to go as far on half a “tank”, so to speak. Some people get by with just charging their battery once a week if they’re only making short trips throughout the week. The problem with this method is that the battery sits in a partially discharged state for much of its life. This means that if you suddenly want (or need) to make a long trip, your plans could be foiled. Check out our SONDORS battery care tips here.
Consider taking a charger with you if you know you’re going for a long ride, and will be out somewhere with a place to charge your battery. This means you can keep your battery topped off. Even putting 10-20% back into your battery during the day will help keep the health of your battery up, not to mention adding 10-20% to your range.
All of these tips should help you increase the range of your electric bike without breaking the bank. And the longer you have on your SONDORS, the more life adventures you enjoy!
Life’s A Ride. Love Your Ride.
SONDORS Founder | CEO
Source link
