Overvolting Your E-bike Is Probably Pointless

So you have decided you want to do some overvolting on your e-bike. You have checked to make sure that both the controller and the motor can handle it, plus you have a big enough battery to compensate for the loss in drive time. But what can you really expect to gain out of doing such a thing? Let’s find out a little more with the help of a few sums…

Can I Really Make My E-bike Go Faster?

Firstly, it is important to understand that all electric bike motors can operate at different voltage levels, but some motors are specifically designed to work on a particular voltage. Overvolting involves increasing the voltage entering the motor to increase the motor’s RPM and obtain a higher speed for the e-bike. To overvolt an e-bike motor, it is possible to increase the battery voltage by using a higher-voltage battery or upgrading the controller. However, before making any modifications, it is important to calculate the expected speed after overvolting to determine whether this is the speed needed.

Checking the Numbers

To find out what sort of speed gains you can expect after overvolting you have to do a simple sum. Using the information in the image above we take the RPM of the motor which is “200RPM” and then you multiply that (X) by the diameter of the wheels on your e-bike (which is normally 26″) and you then multiply that by 0.003 for the maximum MPH, or by 0.0048 if you want to calculate the speed in KM. So for the motor above the sums are…

200 X 26 X 0.003 = 15.6 MPH or 200 X 26 X 0.0048 = 24.96 KPH

If you are getting speeds less than this amount then you can probably get away with some overclocking. But the truth is most people won’t need to. For most people a change in the controller will see you getting speed gains, or worse it won’t do what you expect because it won’t power you up steeper hills, but it will make you go faster on the straights. even then you probably won’t see significant gains at all especially if you have a bottleneck in your system.*

*a bottleneck is where your battery/controller or motor is limiting the flow of power somewhen along the power line. So a 48V battery paired with a 36V motor, or a controller that is limiting it.

As you can see, for most people it would be a pointless task and you probably won’t see the gains you are expecting and then there are a few other things to consider…

Let’s end this post with a stern safety warning. Overvolting an e-bike can be dangerous and potentially damage the bike’s electrical components or battery. Overvolting involves increasing the voltage that the e-bike’s motor and battery are designed to handle, which can result in an increase in speed and power. However, this can also lead to increased stress on the electrical components and can cause overheating or even fires. Additionally, modifying an e-bike in this way may also void any warranties and insurance policies, and may be illegal in some jurisdictions. It is important to ensure that any modifications to an e-bike are legal and safe and EB-UK hold no responsibility for any injury or damage doing so might occur.