The same as ebikes, the best pedal assist etrikes (electric trikes) come with some sort of enclosed lithium-ion battery. These batteries are available in an range of different configurations. You may have seen them described using a combination Volts and Amp Hours. So what does it all mean?
We will use the basic water-flow analogy to help better understand these terms and what e-bike batteries are all about.
Common Terminology
Amps
An Amp, (short for Ampere and denoted by the symbol A) is the international standard unit used to measure electric current.
Using the water-flow analogy, Amps are equal to the diameter of the water pipe. More Amps means a bigger pipe and more water flowing per second, and increased power output from the battery
Amp-hours
The Amp Hour (AH) specification provides a measurement of battery capacity. More simply explained, it is an indication of how much energy can be stored by the battery.
Amp-Hours, or Ampere-Hours (denoted by the symbol Ah), is the measurement of amps multiplied by time. This gives us an indication of battery capacity.
A battery with 15Ah can discharge 15A continuously for an hour. Or it could discharge 1A continuously for 15 hours.
Volts
Volts (V) are the international standard unit used to measure how strongly an electrical current is sent around an electrical system.
Using the water-flow analogy volts are equal to the water pressure flowing through a pipe. A higher voltage means a “higher water pressure” flowing through the pipe. Higher Volts in the battery means increased power generated by the battery.
Watts
Watt (denoted by the symbol W) is the standard unit of power defining the rate of energy conversion and it is equivalent to one joule per second.
More Watts equals more power. Most e-trike motors define their power output in Watts
Watt-hours
This is the most important measurement of your etrike battery. The Watt Hours of a battery are calculated by multiplying the V x Ah.
For example a 48V, 14.5Ah battery is rated at 696 Wh. Combined with a 250 Watt motor you could expect approximately 2.8 hours of non pedal assisted riding. (696 Wh divided by 250 W)
The watt-hour (denoted by the symbol Wh) is a unit of energy equivalent to one watt (1 W) of power expended for one hour (1 h) of time.
Think of it in terms of speed and distance. The speed of your etrike would be Watts, and the distance traveled would be Watt Hours.
If your etrike battery discharges 250 W for one hour it has used 250 Wh. The same battery discharging at 250 W for 2 hours has used 500 Wh
Lithium Ion Battery
These are the most common batteries used today in smartphones, digital cameras, laptops and more. Our etrikes use Panasonic and Samsung 18650 cell lithium-ion batteries and are combined with the most suitable motor so you do not have to choose.
What do Amps and Volts do?
Amps and Volts are two of the most important aspects of an etrike battery.
How Amps impact the way your eTrike rides
When riding your etrike, Amps translate into torque. The more Amps that the etrike motor has available means more torque and the quicker the take off speed will be. Think popping a wheelie!
How Volts impact the way your eTrike rides
Too little Volts means that you won’t have enough energy to give the etrike motor. Too many Volts and you risk damaging the motor.
The most common etrike motors are either 36V or 48V. All of our batteries are 48V.
Volts translate into speed on your etrike. The higher the Volts the higher your top speed.
Electric bicycles are tricycles in Canada are legally required to operate at no greater than 32 KMh
eTrikes Canada Batteries
We use lithium-ion batteries which are designed to be discharged nearly 100% without losing performance or power.
eTc City
- Battery: 48V, 14.5Ah removable lithium-ion
- Motor: 250W Bafang
eTc Commuter
- Battery: 48V, 14.5Ah removable lithium-ion
- Motor: 500W Bafang brushless
eTc Cargo
- Battery: 48V, 20Ah removable lithium-ion
- Motor: 500W Bafang brushless
