One question that many people tend to have while considering buying an e-bike is can electric bikes climb steep hills?
Electric bikes are gaining popularity all over the world because of the many benefits that they offer. They are easy to use, are more efficient and also great for the environment. Let us find out can electric bikes climb steep hills. Read on! Absolutely! By design, electric bikes can help you climb steep hills if you want. The added assistance that electric bikes offer makes it easy for you to conquer mountains and this would be really difficult with regular bikes as you would have to put in a lot of power yourself, leading to exertion and fatigue.

Key Factors That Affect the Ability of Electric Bikes in Climbing Hills

Certain factors play a key role in helping you climb steep hills on an electric bike efficiently. These include:

Distance
The uphill distance that you need to travel on the e-bike is very important. When you are going uphill, you are going to need way more motor power as opposed to when you are coming down.Whatever the range of your electric bike is, consider it reduced by at least half because you will be using a lot of power output while going up.If you love climbing steep hills regularly, one suggestion would be that you pick a bike that offers a good range so that you don’t struggle to go on difficult treks.Going downhill is comparatively easier than going up. This also gives an opportunity to replenish some of the drained battery.Regenerative braking helps extend the battery’s life, thereby extending the distance that a bike can travel. In short, this would help you cover a greater distance.This may, however, slow the bike down a little bit. You may consider limiting the topspeedof the bike so that you can travel a longer distance. You should also refrain from using brakes unnecessarily.

Motor Type
Electric bikes are powered by motors that run on batteries. The strength and power of these batteries are going to determine the ease (or a lack of it) while climbing steep hills. Two types of motors are common in electric bikes. These include:

Hub Motor
This is the more common of the motors that run electric bikes. It is mounted on the rear wheels and powers the bike’s wheel directly.These are preferred by people who are on a budget, as they are cheap. However, if you are looking for a bike for solely climbing purposes, this motor will let you down as it doesn’t have enough power to help you climb steep hills.Another disadvantage with this motor is its positioning in the bike. Since it is mounted near the rear end of the bike, it is bound to disturb the center of gravity of the bike, making it difficult to take the bike on steep slopes.Therefore, if you are planning on climbing a steep hill on your bike, you should not get one that is powered by a hub motor. It is ideal for riding on plains and flat hills.

Mid-drive Motor
Located in the center of the electric bike’s frame close to its paddle crank, this motor is great at providing the heavy-duty power required for climbing steep hills. They are way more powerful than the hub motors and are ideal for steep hill climbing.They are also great at providing balance to the bike and therefore, ensure that you don’t disbalance yourself and fall while going up.