speed and battery endurance

nogelt123

Finding my (electric) wheels
Mar 20, 2009
9
1
I am wondering if going slower will increase the total distance travelled.I know that going 30kmh requires 90%
of energy to overcome drag.What are the figures for going 20kmh and will going slower increase total distance travelled for the same battery charge.
I love going fast,30kmh but is this hurting my range?
thanks,Jan
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,765
30,351
I am wondering if going slower will increase the total distance travelled.I know that going 30kmh requires 90%
of energy to overcome drag.What are the figures for going 20kmh and will going slower increase total distance travelled for the same battery charge.
I love going fast,30kmh but is this hurting my range?
thanks,Jan
It is if the motor is driving you up to that 30 kph Jan. Up to about 20 kph, wind resistance doesn't have too great an effect, but as speed rises to 30 kph or more the effect rises very rapidly, so slowing to 20 kph should increase your range. (Of course I'm speaking of riding on the flat, slower speeds when climbing hills still consume large amounts of current due to the extra work being done.)

There's also the matter of motor efficiency. That gradually increases as the motor speed increases, but then tails off before the maximum speed. Therefore the optimum efficiency is at approximately three quarters of the maximum speed and the consumption will be better at that speed.

You can only find how much the gain is by trial and error, since the riding circumstances and riding styles can be so different.
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