A new standard has finally been developed for measuring electric bicycle range - Electrek

August 13, 2018

-August 13, 2018 2:52 pm Eastern Time

Today, it seems that an endless supply of new electric bicycles is announced every week. From

To a professional electric bike

.

But because some retailers sometimes take various and sometimes unethical methods to find more impressive results, consumers always have to add some salt to the estimates of these ranges. Until now, a new standard for measuring the range of electric bicycles has finally been developed.

The German Automobile Association ZIV (Zweirad-Industrie-Verband) has just announced that they have developed a standard designed to measure the driving range of electric bicycles so that all electric bicycles can be compared on a level playing field.

Large e-bike brands provided advice during the standard-setting process, including Accell Group, Bosch Electric Bike Systems, Shimano and Velotech.

The new standard is called the standardized range test R200, not only to help manufacturers quote more realistic range estimates, but also to help electric bike shops to help customers better compare different brands and models of electric bikes.

Most importantly, the new standard aims to achieve reproducible results, but unfortunately, in the electric bicycle industry, such standards are not common.

Many manufacturers, especially those with lower cost and pedal-assisted bicycles, use test methods, including professional cyclists, neatly trimmed bicycle lanes, or other advantages, in order to achieve the best result in a single electric bicycle battery charge. Best range. Then, this impressive range is listed as the maximum range of the electric bike, and there is usually a small warning to warn customers that the range of the electric bike will vary based on factors such as terrain, weather, and individual riders.

ZIV's new standard

, Although you need pretty good German to understand it.

Essentially, the new test procedure uses qualified test equipment to standardize all electric bicycles to a uniform assist factor of 200%. This means that the electric bicycle simulated by the test will provide twice the amount of assistance provided by the rider himself. Therefore, if the cyclist provides 100 watts of power (which is the usual power for recreational cyclists), then the electric bicycle will provide 200 watts of auxiliary power, resulting in a total output of 300 watts for the hybrid/electric bicycle.

Factors considered by the test standard include everything from the road surface and weather conditions to the weight of the bicycle and the type of tires used.

For a long time, the unrealistic range of electric bikes has been one of my biggest worries with electric cars. When I see companies that use the ignorance of consumers to falsely claim that no one in the real world can do it, it always makes me endless.

Therefore, I think such standards have expired.

Of course, this does not mean that every electric bicycle manufacturer will use the new standard, nor does it mean that adoption will happen soon, but it is hoped that large manufacturers will join in to prove their credibility among consumers. This may help inspire other smaller manufacturers to start using the standard. Ultimately, not using industry standards for scoring ranges can be seen as a positive sign that a suspicious incident has occurred and caused consumers to move around.

My biggest question left is how well this standard compares to pedal-assisted electric bicycles and electric bicycles that only use manual throttle operation.

According to my understanding of the standard (it is generally accepted to read the standard with the help of online translation), by applying 70 W of pedal power and engaging the throttle to a point, the test should also be applicable to throttle electric bicycles. This will apply 140 W of motor power. However, I can almost understand German like breathing underwater, so if anyone who speaks German would like to help me verify it, I would be very grateful!

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Micah Toll is a personal electric car enthusiast, battery fanatic, and author of Amazon #1 best seller

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You can send him a reminder via Micah@electrek.co.

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