Charging
E-bike chargers do not require special charging infrastructure
We surveyed E-bike chargers and found that:
All listed e-bike chargers operate on 120 volts
All can operate on a standard 15 or 20 amp household circuit.
Rated power requirements ranged from 150 to 600 watts for a fast charger. 600 watts (5 amps at 120 volts) is the highest power at which most ebike batteries can be safely charged.
Charger weights range from 1 to 3 pounds (for example the Bosch charger line ranges from 600 to 1000 grams)
Our measurements of a 2019 Bosch 4 Amp Standard Charger showed a peak of 185 watts draw from a 120 volt circuit tapering off as the battery reached capacity and then shutting off to no draw (zero watts) once the battery is fully charged.
At this rate of draw, a standard 20 amp circuit can safely handle the peak draw from up to 10 slow chargers similar to the Bosch or 3 fast chargers at their maximum draw 5 amp draw. [1]
E-bike chargers have a rate of recovery equivalent to a Level 2 charger
In our studies we have found that standard e-bike chargers provide 10-20 miles of range per hour of charging. This matches prediction on the Bosch website[1] Getting an equivalent 10-20 mile per hour rate of recovery for charging an electric car requires a Level 2 charger pulling 3-6 kW from a 240 volt circuit.