Watt Mile is paid through affiliate links: if you buy through a link to Aventon, Velotric, Lectric, Ride1Up or Himiway, we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. No program has accepted the site yet, and a commission never decides a pick. How we choose.
Every e-bike page leads with three numbers: watts, miles and dollars. The watts are rarely the ones that matter, the miles come with fine print, and the dollars stop at checkout. Watt Mile reads the product pages of five U.S. direct-to-consumer brands and puts the numbers that decide a purchase side by side: battery size in watt-hours, advertised range and the conditions behind it, the weight the bike is rated to carry, the classes it can be set to, and what a mile really costs you to charge in your state.
- 60in-stock e-bikes read on November 7, 2026
- 5brand stores: Aventon, Velotric, Lectric, Ride1Up, Himiway
- $749 to $5,999price range in our check
- 51state handouts read (50 states and D.C.)
How we work. We have not ridden or tested any of these e-bikes. On November 7, 2026 we read every in-stock e-bike on aventon.com, velotricbike.com, lectricebikes.com, ride1up.com and himiwaybike.com, and quoted what each page publishes. When a figure is missing we write "not published". Our own arithmetic is marked [calc]. Electricity prices come from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), state rules from the PeopleForBikes state handouts. Full method: how we compare.
1. Watt-hours, not watts, set the range
The motor rating (250 W, 500 W, 750 W) tells you how hard a bike can pull, not how far it goes. Distance comes from the battery, measured in watt-hours: volts times amp-hours. In our check batteries run from 252 Wh (Ride1Up CF Racer1) to 1,680 Wh (Lectric XPedition2 Long-Range Dual-Battery). Five bikes are missing a printed watt-hour figure: for three we multiplied the published volts and amp-hours [calc], for two (Ride1Up Portola 02 and Vorsa) the voltage is not published either. Why this matters and how to read a battery label: e-bike battery watt-hours explained.
2. Advertised range comes with conditions
Divide the battery by the advertised maximum range and you get how many watt-hours each brand assumes per mile. In our check it runs from 5.0 to 17.3 Wh per advertised mile [calc], a three-fold spread that says more about test conditions than about the bikes. Aventon assumes a 165 lb rider, Velotric a 187 lb rider, both on flat roads in the lowest assist mode. The full table: how far can an e-bike go on a charge.
3. A mile costs cents, but not the same cents everywhere
Residential electricity ran from 12.72 cents per kWh in Nevada to 47.18 cents in Hawaii in August 2026 (EIA). What one full charge costs for three battery sizes [calc]:
| Battery | One full charge at the U.S. average (18.16 ¢/kWh) [calc] | In Nevada (12.72 ¢) [calc] | In Hawaii (47.18 ¢) [calc] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lectric XP Lite3, 374 Wh | $0.068 | $0.048 | $0.176 |
| Aventon Level 4 REC, 733 Wh | $0.133 | $0.093 | $0.346 |
| Lectric XPedition2 Long-Range Dual-Battery, 1,680 Wh | $0.305 | $0.214 | $0.793 |
The calculator above does it for your bike, your state and your miles, and compares the result with a gallon of regular gas at your state or regional price: e-bike cost per mile.
4. Your state decides which class you can ride
Most states copy the three-class system, but not all: some still treat e-bikes as mopeds or motorized bicycles, some set a 20 or 25 mph cap, and most put a minimum age on Class 3. Pick your state in the e-bike laws by state tool: it quotes the PeopleForBikes handout and lists the bikes in our check you can set to a legal class. The difference between the classes: Class 2 vs Class 3.
5. Weight limits are not all the same limit
Lectric publishes a payload capacity for rider and cargo plus a maximum rider weight; Velotric's GoMad page says its 500 lb figure includes the bike; most other pages print a number without saying what it covers. The e-bike weight limit checker reads each one both ways.
6. The five brands at a glance
| Brand | In-stock e-bikes read | Price range | Battery range | Can be set to Class 3 | UL 2849 named on the page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aventon | 12 | $1,199 to $5,999 | 345.6 to 800 Wh | 5 | 8 |
| Velotric | 15 | $1,199 to $2,399 | 352.8 to 801.6 Wh | 14 | 14 |
| Lectric | 16 | $749 to $1,999 | 374 to 1,680 Wh | 10 | 16 |
| Ride1Up | 8 | $795 to $2,395 | 252 to 1,040 Wh | 8 | 5 |
| Himiway | 9 | $1,499 to $3,999 | 720 to 960 Wh | 3 | 0 |
Every bike, with its store price: the e-bike comparison. Under $1,500: best e-bike under $1,500. Two brands head to head: Aventon vs Velotric.
7. A word on batteries
Lithium-ion packs store a lot of energy. Several brands state the standards their battery or electrical system is certified to: UL 2271 for the battery pack, UL 2849 for the e-bike electrical system. We report the wording of each page and nothing more. Charge with the charger supplied by the brand and follow its storage instructions.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to charge an e-bike?
A full charge is the battery size in kWh times your electricity price. At the U.S. residential average of 18.16 cents per kWh (EIA, August 2026), a 733 Wh battery costs about 13 cents to fill [calc], before charger losses. In Hawaii (47.18 cents) the same charge is about 35 cents; in Nevada (12.72 cents), about 9 cents [calc].
What is the difference between Class 1, 2 and 3 e-bikes?
PeopleForBikes, whose definitions most state handouts repeat: Class 1 assists only while you pedal and stops at 20 mph; Class 2 has a throttle and stops at 20 mph; Class 3 assists only while you pedal and stops at 28 mph. Many bikes in our check can be switched between classes in their settings.
Can I trust the advertised range?
Read the conditions. Aventon estimates its range for a 165 lb rider on a flat paved road in Eco mode; Velotric for a 187 lb rider in PAS 1 Eco on flat roads; Lectric and Ride1Up only say range varies with weight, terrain and assist; Himiway gives no conditions on the pages we read. A heavier rider, hills, wind or the throttle all shorten it.
Do these e-bikes have a safety certification?
43 of the 60 product pages name UL 2849, the U.S. safety standard for the e-bike electrical system: all 16 Lectric pages, 14 of 15 Velotric, 8 of 12 Aventon, 5 of 8 Ride1Up and none of the 9 Himiway pages we read. We only report what the page says; ask the brand for the certificate.
Keep reading
- Cost per mileBattery size, the brand's range and your state's electricity price: cost per charge, per mile and per year, next to a car.
- Laws by stateThe classes your state treats as bicycles, its age and helmet rules in its own words, and the bikes in our check that fit.
- Will it carry me?Rider plus cargo against each published limit, read the strict way when the store does not say whether the bike counts.
- Compare 60 e-bikesStore price, class settings, motor, battery, advertised range, weight and weight limit, cheapest first.
- Under $1,50026 in-stock e-bikes at $1,500 or less, with the numbers that separate them.
- Class 2 vs Class 3Throttle to 20 mph or pedal assist to 28 mph: what changes, where, and which bikes can do which.
- Range on a chargeAdvertised range next to battery size and the test conditions each brand states, or does not.
- Battery Wh explainedVolts times amp-hours: what the label means, 60 real batteries, and the safety standards the pages cite.
- Aventon vs VelotricSix pairs of bikes built for the same job, compared line by line on what each store prints.