My average is somewhere in the 30-50wh/mi range, but varies drastically. Sure taking the kids to school or otherwise intentionally riding conservatively can dip into the 20-30wh range, but my attitude is that I have plenty of batteries that will age more with time than my usage, and electricity costs pennies compared to gas. I don't have a commute at all, much less some fixed commute for which I try to stretch my batteries, which btw will significantly shorten their life. I also have the opinion that battery tech will continue to advance just like it has in the recent past as exhibited by the 50%+ decrease in lithium battery prices in the last year alone, and researchers report that 10x capacity and power per unit volume have been achieved in the lab.
On top of the expectation that prices will decrease and power will increase, consider that I have over 7kwh of lithium batteries good for several years of service since my mileage is fairly limited. Wouldn't you ride your bike as fast and hard as possible? My bikes will do 50mph+ with a long straight, but due to short range trips and traffic I average under 30mph, and the jackrabbit type riding make my brake pads the only fast wearing things on my bikes.
Did I mention that I weigh 240lb, so the fast start and faster stop riding uses lots of juice compared to a typical 170lb cyclist gone electric. Also I'm up just above eye level of the smokers, so I don't get the aero benefit of the recumbent riders.
Unless you're trying to squeeze every last penny out of your ride, and are either trying to add lots of pedal assist OR are trying to build a high performance electric motorcycle, WHAT REAL DIFFERENCE DOES WH/MILE MAKE AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME. If you're worried about pinching pennies or maximizing performance, all you have to do is wait a few months and the numbers look better. If you're more in the middle, then just get what you can afford and fit for now, ride like a bat out of hell, and be patient for the really good stuff coming down the pipe at a far cheaper per wh price.
John
My average speed only increased from my usual ~17mph to ~22mph. I usually average around 45-50wh/mi so to gain 5mph avg speed almost doubled my power usage. Ugh.
