More range! Hardly any other demand comes up more often when e-mountain bikers discuss the future. Manufacturers are responding and gradually introducing larger batteries. While the standard on Shimano and Bosch e-MTBs is currently still 500 watt hours, more and more innovations are coming with larger batteries up to around 700 watt hours.
One thing is clear: the more capacity, the heavier the battery. Even the further development of battery technology is unlikely to change this in the foreseeable future. While the extra pounds are not too dramatically noticeable on the bike, large additional batteries in the rucksack weigh noticeably heavier on the shoulders - in the truest sense of the word.
The question of the ideal battery capacity is therefore a complex one. Is 700 watt hours enough for extended tours? Or will bikers who like to cover a lot of metres in altitude cut themselves in half, as the additional battery that may be required will then be too heavy? We look forward to hearing your opinion!
To put this into perspective: An external Bosch, Shimano or Panasonic battery (500 watt hours each) weighs around 2.6 kilograms. The integrated models with the same capacity weigh around three kilos. And larger energy sources? Panasonic's 630 Wh battery weighs 3.65 kilograms, the 700 Wh battery from BH 3.8 kilograms. The energy storage unit from the Specialized Turbo Levo also remains within the weight range at 3.8 kilos with 700 watt hours, but due to its length it does not fit into a classic daypack. An extreme example: The battery that powers the powerful TQ motor on the M1 Spitzing Evolution has a capacity of 880 watt hours (optionally even 1050 Wh), but also weighs 5.7 kilos.
Does the watt-hour arms race make sense as long as no ground-breaking advances are made in battery technology? Where do you think battery capacity will stabilise in the future? You voted in our online survey. You can find the results in the EMTB 2/2019 issue - on newsstands from 14 May.
Florentin Vesenbeckh
Editor CvD
