🔋 Real-World E-Bike Range Calculator
What the range figure does not include: wind, cold, soft tyres and traffic lights. See what each costs you in miles, and which one to fix first.
🚲 The bike, and the day
The number on the box, and the number on the road
Our range calculator models the things you choose: battery size, assist level, what you are carrying, and how hilly the route is. Its own notes list what it leaves out — wind, tyre pressure, temperature and stop-start riding. Those are the things the day chooses, and on a bad one they matter more than everything above.
Headwind is the one that surprises people, because drag rises with the square of airspeed. Holding 15 mph into a 12 mph wind means shoving through 27 mph of air, and roughly tripling the aerodynamic part of your consumption. Riders reach for a bigger battery when the answer was to ease off five mph, which recovers most of it for nothing.
Cold is the one that gets misread. A pack near freezing hands over about four fifths of its capacity and returns the rest as it warms — nothing is wrong with it. And soft tyres are simply the cheapest miles available: a floor pump costs less than any accessory on this site and buys range on every ride, in every wind, at every temperature.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Why is a headwind so much worse than it feels?
Because aerodynamic drag rises with the SQUARE of your airspeed, and a headwind adds to airspeed directly. Riding at 15 mph into a 12 mph headwind means pushing through 27 mph of air — nearly double the airspeed, and about three and a quarter times the drag. That is why a windy day can halve your range while the battery is in perfect health.
Should I slow down into a headwind?
Yes, and it is the cheapest thing you can do. Because drag follows airspeed squared, easing off cuts it sharply: dropping from 15 mph to 10 mph into a 12 mph headwind takes the consumption penalty from about double to about one and a half times. The figures on this page assume you hold your usual speed, so they show what insisting on that speed costs.
Is my battery failing if range drops in winter?
Almost certainly not. A lithium pack near freezing delivers roughly 80% of its rated capacity, and near-instantly gives it back as it warms — the energy is withheld, not lost. Charge and store the pack indoors, fit it just before you ride, and you keep most of that. A pack that is still short in mild weather is a different matter.
How much do tyres really matter?
More than most riders expect, and it is free to fix. Running twenty per cent under the recommended pressure adds meaningfully to rolling resistance, which you pay for on every mile regardless of wind or terrain. Of everything on this page it is the cheapest range you will ever buy: a floor pump and two minutes.
How does this relate to the range calculator?
The range calculator models battery capacity, assist level, load and terrain — the things you choose. This adds the four its notes say it leaves out: wind, temperature, tyre pressure and stop-start riding, which the day chooses for you. Set them all to their reference values and this page returns exactly the same figure.