Cycling & E-bike
E-bike cost per km.
Charging an e-bike costs a fraction of a cent per watt-hour. Enter your consumption, electricity price and yearly distance to see cost per km, per 100 km and per year, then add battery wear if you want the full picture. Runs in your browser.
Consumption and prices
Running cost
Fill the form and press Calculate.
Worked example
At 12 Wh/km, 85% charging efficiency and $0.12/kWh, each km takes 12 / 0.85 = 14.1 Wh from the wall, which costs 14.1 / 1000 × 0.12 = $0.0017, about 0.17 cents per km. That is $0.17 per 100 km and $5.08 over 3,000 km a year. Add a $700, 500 Wh battery rated for 500 full cycles: it covers 500 / 12 = 41.7 km per cycle, 20,833 km in all, so wear is $700 / 20,833 = 3.36 cents per km, and the total becomes 3.53 cents per km, $105.88 per year. In this example battery wear is the bigger cost.
How it works
Electricity per km = Wh per km ÷ charging efficiency ÷ 1000 × price per kWh. Energy is power times time, and your bill prices it per kWh (1 kWh is 1,000 Wh). Dividing by efficiency counts the energy lost between the wall and the battery.
Battery wear per km = battery price ÷ (rated cycles × km per full cycle), where km per full cycle is battery Wh divided by Wh per km. It spreads the replacement price over the distance the rated cycles allow. Real battery life depends on use, depth of discharge, heat and storage, so treat this as an average.
Sources and basis (opened 2026-10-08): Wikipedia, Kilowatt-hour (energy is power multiplied by time; one kWh is 3.6 MJ). Prices, efficiency and cycle ratings are your inputs.
FAQ
How much does it cost to charge an e-bike?
A full charge of a 500 Wh pack uses about 0.59 kWh from the wall at 85% efficiency. At $0.12/kWh that is $0.07.
How much does an e-bike cost per km to run?
Electricity alone at 12 Wh/km is about 0.17 cents per km at $0.12/kWh. With a $700 battery rated for 500 cycles the total is 3.53 cents per km.
Is the battery or the electricity the bigger cost?
In the example battery wear is 3.36 cents per km against 0.17 for electricity, so the battery dominates. Cheaper power barely moves the total.
Where do I find rated cycles?
On the battery or cell spec sheet from the maker. The 500 in the form is a placeholder to show the maths, not a published figure, so replace it.
Does this include the cost of the bike?
No. It covers electricity and optional battery wear only. Tires, chain, brakes, servicing, insurance and the purchase price are separate.
Disclaimer
Estimate only. It uses the prices, efficiency and cycle rating you enter, and excludes other ownership costs.