These online range calculators... which ones are reliable? Anyone calibrated them?
Posted by LoucheLad@reddit | ebikes | View on Reddit | 3 comments
I've tried various online calculators to try to judge whether a particular ebike will have the necessary range in real-world conditions. I get... um... a range of ranges! They vary from 21 km to 47 km all after the same input. So I don't know what to think. Anyone tested them and got good enough results?
stormdelta@reddit
ebikes.ca has a pretty decent trip estimator that can be fed routes from Google maps, assuming you know enough technical specs about the motor and bike.
Remember that human input has a significant impact on range, as does incline/declines. Acceleration uses more power than steady, so whether you have regen can matter especially in hilly terrain.
ThimbleSmash@reddit
Range is tough to calculate, so many variables to manage. If you can average out your lowest suggested numbers, and the median average from the different calcs. The range between the two averages of range is likely somewhere close to the real world range.
I wouldn't factor in the higher end of the suggested range numbers since for most I wouldn't say it is realistic. Not unless you're riding in near ideal efficient conditions.
LoucheLad@reddit (OP)
>Range is tough to calculate, so many variables to manage.
Hence my quest for the holy grail of a reasonably reliable calculator ;)
I've since found some more calculators (including a ChatGPT-generated spreadsheet with the necessary formulas, but I'm aware that ChatGPT is not to be trusted with maths). And I got an even wider range of results!
But after discounting what I reckon are untrustworthy outliers (I suspect dodgy formulas and/or erroneous input), I've arrived at a median of 37 km range (along with a mean of 39 km, lower bound of 34 km, upper bound of 47 km), which feels encouraging.
But if you/anyone else has any other useful pointers, I'd be grateful. (I made the mistake of posting when North America was asleep...)