Although the electric bike is a relatively recent invention, its massive sales and rising global demand reflect its almost instant popularity in the USA.
As a matter of fact, according to statistics, the size of the global electric bike market is expected to rise from 40.16 billion USD to 92.19 billion USD from the year 2022 to 2029.
However, choosing the right electric bike is often a difficult task. After all, you have a wealth of options to choose from, and each bike suits different requirements.
For someone who is light-weight and has a relatively small commute, a 36-Volt electric bike will be perfect. But how fast can a 36-Volt electric bike go?
How Fast Can a 36-Volt Electric Bike Go?
If you are looking for a budget-friendly battery-powered bike for your first-ever electric bike experience, a 36-Volt electric bike will be a fantastic purchase for you.
Since the lithium-ion battery of an electric bike is its most vital and expensive electrical component, an electric bike with a small 36-Volt battery will cost significantly less than an electric bike with a 48-, 52-, or 72-Volts battery.
In general, a 36-Volt electric bike is expected to offer its rider a top speed of 18 to 20 miles per hour on flat surfaces.
This speed, although lower compared to other electric bikes that come with higher-voltage batteries, is still excellent for inner-city travel.
Electric bike experts recommend the 36-Volt electric bike to people who are investing in an electric bike for the first time and need to practice on a low-speed electric bike to learn better control and balance in a safe way.
However, the 18 to 20 miles per hour top speed of a 36-Volt electric bike is usually a theoretical number only.
Instead, in reality, the actual top speed of a 36-Volt electric bike can drop down to 15 to 18 miles per hour if certain factors come into play.
Some of the factors that will affect the top speed of a 36-Volt electric bike are as follows:
- The total weight the 36-Volt electric bike has to carry
- The condition of the 36-Volt electric bike’s battery
- The condition of the terrain the 36-Volt electric bike is ridden on
- The quality and condition of the 36-Volt electric bike’s tires
Continue reading to learn why the 36-Volt electric bike is not the most ideal purchase for everyone and why certain people should prefer the 36-Volt electric bike over all other electric bikes.
The article also elaborates on the different factors that can reduce a 36-Volt electric bike’s expected top speed, along with highlighting essential tips one can follow to increase the top and average speed of their 36-Volt electric bike.
Let’s get started!
Why is a 36-Volt Electric Bike Not the Ideal Purchase for Everyone?
Although an electric bike may seem like a modernized version of the traditional two-wheeled bicycle we all have grown up riding, it has the capability to offer significantly more than that.
Not only is a modern-day electric bike designed to promote fast, easy, safe, eco-friendly transport, but its many technological advancements are also engineered to reduce the global dependence on gasoline-powered personal cars and public transport for everyday travel.
Hence, if you decide to invest in an electric bike, it will allow you to travel to work, school, or even to hangouts with your friends in a timely fashion.
What’s more, it will also help you significantly reduce your average and annual carbon footprint and travel costs.
Hence, if one is able to afford the high purchase price of an electric bike, one should not think twice before making the decision.
However, no matter how fantastic an electric bike may seem if it cannot cater to your unique needs and preferences, it will not be of much use to you.
According to electric bike experts, a 36-Volt electric bike may seem like an attractive purchase due to its relatively low market price. However, it will not always serve as the perfect electric bike for everyone.
The first and perhaps the most important reason the 36-Volt electric bike is not the best e-bike for everyone is its small and relatively less-powerful battery.
An electric bike’s battery serves as the automobile’s heart, pumping electric charge to its motor. When a rider connects the battery to a power source, electrons flow through the chemical battery’s cells and get converted to chemical energy for storage.
The higher the amount of stored chemical energy in the electric bike’s battery, the higher the amount of kinetic energy the e-bike’s electric motor will be able to produce.
As more kinetic energy is passed onto the electric bike’s tires, the e-bike’s speed will automatically go up without requiring additional pedaling from the rider.
Hence, since a 36-Volt battery is much smaller than other batteries available for electric bikes, the charge-storing capacity will be much lower in comparison.
Hence, with insufficient stored chemical energy, the kinetic energy produced will also be lesser, thus resulting in a low top speed.
This is why people who prefer faster electric bike rides or need to travel to far-off distances to get to work or school on time, are not advised to go for a 36-Volt electric bike.
Moreover, although electric bikes are designed to be stronger and heavier than regular bikes, a 36-Volt electric bike is still not going to be strong and capable enough to pull the weight of an overweight rider.
Hence, if you are overweight or if the nature of your work requires you to carry or transport heavy cargo, you need to buy an electric bike with a higher-voltage battery.
Furthermore, if a rider lives in a hilly area in the USA where riding over inclined and bumpy surfaces cannot be avoided, it is better to invest in an electric bike with at least a 48 Volts battery.
This is because a 36-Volt electric bike battery will run out of charge too quickly, resulting in high recharging costs if it is ridden over slopped and arduous terrains.
However, a 36-Volt electric bike is not all that bad. As a matter of fact, a 36-Volt electric bike has the potential to offer multiple benefits to certain kinds of consumers.
Keep reading to learn more about these benefits.
What Are the Advantages that Come from Riding a 36-Volt Electric Bike?
Some of the key advantages of riding a 36-Volt electric bike are as follows:
- It is far more affordable than any other kind of electric bike on the market.
- Although a significantly large number of people across the globe want to experience the benefits of owning an electric bike, many are discouraged by an e-bike’s high price.
- However, a 36-Volt electric bike’s relatively higher affordability allows a larger number of people to benefit from riding an electric bike.
- Since more people can afford to purchase, ride, and charge a 36-Volt electric bike, a larger population of the world can decrease their dependency on gasoline-powered personal cars and public transport.
- As a result, the demand for fossil fuels goes down, and the annual emissions can also be reduced.
- Due to its small battery size, a 36-Volt electric bike is designed to be relatively lighter in weight compared to other electric bikes.
- This quality helps improve the electric bike’s transportability.
- As a result, riders can take their electric bikes along with them on trips by carrying the e-bikes in their cars, buses, trains, etc.
- Hence, even when a person is traveling, a 36-Volt electric bike allows them the opportunity to keep their carbon footprint low.
- Since a 36-Volt electric bike is much smaller and lighter in weight, many electric bike manufacturing brands, such as Brompton Electric, have designed foldable electric bikes.
- These electric bikes can be strolled into malls and retail shops; hence the owner does not have to park them outside while shopping.
- As a result, the chances of electric bike theft are reduced.
What Factors Affect the Top Speed of a 36-Volt Electric Bike?
The Total Weight the 36-Volt Electric Bike has to Carry
The weight of the rider and the luggage they carry has a direct effect on an electric bike’s top speed.
When more than the advised amount of weight is added onto a 36-Volt electric bike, the excessive weight puts unhealthy pressure and stress on the electric bike’s battery.
This stress causes a more rapid discharge of the stored chemical energy and leads to a permanent reduction in the battery’s charge-storing capacity.
Hence, if an overweight rider, or any rider carrying heavy weight rides on a 36-Volt electric bike, the battery begins to lose its stored chemical energy quickly.
As a result, less kinetic energy is produced, so the electric bike’s top speed goes down.
The Condition of the 36-Volt Electric Bike’s Battery
An electric bike’s battery is an extremely sensitive electric component that requires a focused care routine.
If the owner of a 36-Volt electric bike fails to charge the electric bike’s battery on time or uses a poor-quality charger to charge the battery, the battery cells may permanently lose some of their charge-storing capacity and range.
When low amounts of electric charge are stored, the amount of kinetic energy produced will also be low. As a result, the electric bike will fail to reach its expected top speeds.
The Condition of the Terrain the 36-Volt Electric Bike is Ridden On
The terrain an electric bike is ridden on has a massive impact on the condition of the electric bike’s battery and the electric bike’s top speed.
According to electric bike experts, a 36-Volt electric bike will be able to offer a top speed of 18 to 20 miles per hour on flatter surfaces, while the top speed will drop to 15 to 18 miles per hour on inclined surfaces.
Moreover, if the rider begins to ride their 36-Volt electric bike on arduous terrains frequently, the stress on the battery will cause its capacity and range to drop permanently.
This, in turn, will also result in a permanent drop in the electric bike’s top speed.
The Quality and Condition of the 36-Volt Electric Bike’s Tires
The tires of an electric bike are responsible for withstanding the weight of the bike as well as its rider while also offering performance at high speeds over varying terrains.
Hence, if the rider chooses to ride their 36-Volt electric bike on damaged, worn-out, and poorly-inflated tires, the electric bike’s performance will drop and hence the e-bike will not be able to reach its expected top speed.
Top Tips to Increase the Top Speed of a 36-Volt Electric Bike
- Develop a proper battery charging routine for your electric bike’s 36-Volt battery, and make sure to stick to it.
- This includes maintaining the battery charging between 20 to 80% and refraining from lettering the battery discharge to 0%.
- Charging the battery as frequently as possible.
- Always use the manufacturer-provided charging cord to charge the battery.
- Refrain from deliberately riding on rough terrains.
- If you cannot avoid doing this due to the landscape’s conditions, it is advisable to invest in a 48 Volts electric bike instead.
- Refrain from frequently riding the electric bike on the highest mode of pedal assistance and try to maintain stable accelerations.
- Always check the condition and air pressure of your electric bike’s tires before hitting the road.
- Try to reduce the weight of your electric bike by refraining from carrying heavy luggage while traveling.
Final Thoughts
If a 36-Volt electric bike is all you can afford, especially if you live in the USA, where electric bikes are a bit more expensive, you should definitely go for it.
Although a 36-Volt electric bike allows a relatively low top speed of 15 to 20 miles per hour, that’s not what you need to buy it for.
Instead, you need to buy a 36-volt electric bike because it offers you a low-cost, comfortable, and safe commute around town without increasing your carbon footprint.
Moreover, to make the most of your purchase, you need to learn how to ride your 36-Volt electric bike in the advised way so you can get a higher top speed without drastically affecting its battery charge.
You may also like:
- 24-Inch Electric Mountain Bike
- 4 Wheel Electric Mountain Bikes
- Best Electric Mountain Bike Under $1500
- Best Fat Tire Electric Bike for Snow
My name is Matthew, staying in Seattle, Washington. Electric Vehicles (Electric Cars & Electric bikes) caught my attention for the last few years and my love for electric cars and bikes is everlasting. I spend many of my weekends traveling to various places all over various cities with my electric vehicle (e-bike and electric car). Here I am sharing my expertise, experience, and invaluable information about electric cars and electric bikes. Check out more.