Power consumption, replacement battery, wear and tear, which e-bike follow-up costs can an e-bike buyer expect? The one-off acquisition costs are not enough. Of course, it is definitely cheaper than driving a car if you are traveling by e-bike.
Faster than cycling, more environmentally friendly and often more practical than driving a car: For many people, the e-bike has become an important part of their individual mobility. The fact that an electric bike is a good two and a half times as expensive as a comparably equipped non-motorized bike is something that users are happy to accept. But what e-bike follow-up costs do you have to be prepared for?
E-bike follow-up costs: Modern chargers with almost perfect efficiency
An obvious factor is the power consumption, after all, the e-bike has to be plugged in once or twice a week with medium frequency of use. If you calculate with an electricity price of €0,30 per kilowatt hour, the e-bike follow-up costs for a 500 Wh battery are around 15 cents. The unavoidable losses, such as waste heat when charging, are not significant.
E-bike follow-up costs: One euro per charge as a rule of thumb
On top of the electricity costs, however, you have to add the price for a replacement battery, which will sooner or later be due. If you assume that the power storage lasts 700 charging cycles and costs around 700 euros, you would have to set aside a euro for the e-bike follow-up costs for each charging process. The only question is when the new investment will be necessary - with frequent use and heavy use, such as daily mountain journeys, it can be as far as two or three years.
Frequent "running empty" also shortens the life of the battery; regular recharging, on the other hand, is good for him and also does not reduce the number of charging cycles: a partial charge always corresponds to the corresponding part of a charging process; a battery with 1.000 charging cycles can theoretically be half-charged 2.000 times.
E-bike follow-up costs: higher wear and tear in the drive
Modern technology is often said to be less durable and reliable than its predecessors, and often beyond repair. This is definitely not the case with bicycles. Pretty much all components work better and more comfortably today, and many classic weak points on the bike have been eliminated. However, wear and tear is still a factor that should not be neglected. Here, electric bikes sometimes have disadvantages compared to conventional bicycles; The following costs only refer to the material value - in a specialist workshop, the costs for working hours are also incurred: The brake pads (approx. 15 euros for front and rear) of a disc brake wear out faster with heavier vehicle weight and higher speeds; In the case of an e-bike with a central motor, the chain (from 20 euros) and sprocket (from approx. 25 euros) have to digest the power of the drive in addition to the rider's leg strength.
A hub gear (from around 150 euros) is also exposed to greater loads; In order to protect your transmission, some pedelecs have a gearshift recognition that reduces the support at the moment of the gear change. High-quality e-bikes with a gear hub are now equipped with a toothed belt drive instead of a chain, which is a big plus in terms of durability and low maintenance - frequent and all-weather riders should make the additional investment.
How high the e-bike follow-up costs for wear and tear and repairs actually are can hardly be quantified - the conditions of use are too different, and defects such as a flat tire (a classic e-bike tire like the Schwalbe Energizer is available from around 20 euros), that many riders have "treated" in the bike shop are mostly a matter of luck or bad luck. However, for early detection of damage caused by wear and tear, it makes sense to have your e-bike checked regularly by experts. It should not be forgotten that the electronic components offer potential weak points that do not occur with non-motorized bikes. When weighing up the follow-up costs of an e-bike and those of a classic bike, you should not forget this aspect. Defects in the engine or electronics can quickly become quite expensive.
In any case, it is cheaper than driving a car to be on the road with an e-bike, even if you are moving an S-Pedelec that is subject to registration and requires an insurance license plate (50 euros/year). Incidentally, for a further 50 euros you can have the fast e-bike fully comprehensively insured – you can’t get theft protection cheaper.