Testing Tiny Electric Bikes: How Fast Can a 240 Watt E-Bike Go?

Lower powered e-bikes are often underestimated because of their low power. Drawing 240 Watts from the battery doesn’t look too good next to the more than 1,000 Watt-hour values presented with the highest powered bikes in the world. However, it does get you to the grocery store, and it can also get you to work on time, if you know how to maneuver your nimble bike through difficult traffic.

A Quick Overview of Power and Speed

Power and speed don’t always go hand in hand. Just because a bike has a motor that can draw more than 1000 Watts, it doesn’t mean that it’s going to be a lot faster than one that draws only 240W. However, all the extra power has to go somewhere, so slower e-bikes that have powerful motors will usually perform much better on hills and rough terrain.

Fortunately for our tiny 240W e-bikes like the Zimo X2, most cities have pretty smooth asphalt, and if you live in an area with fewer hills and mountains, you won’t have to step off the bike and carry it in your arms or your backpack. However, if you do try to climb a steep hill, the lower power of the motor might not be enough to climb it at the same speed as a 1000W bike – depending on the slope.

How Fast Does the Zimo X2 Go?

Now, since power is generally somewhat balanced with speed artificially during the process manufacturers have to select a motor and battery for a certain e-bike, you won’t find 240W bikes that can really keep up with the ones rated at 1000W. However, EVs like the Zimo X2 still have a decent speed that can get you around town in a fair amount of time.

The X2 specifically 20 mph, which is pretty good compared to other electric bikes. There are many bikes ranging between 240W and 1000W of power that run at about the same speed, although some might perform better on hills than the old Zimo.

Still, if you’re planning to get a little exercise on the side, while getting around town quickly, you won’t need a high powered bike, although you might need a high speed one. If that’s the case, then the Zimo X2 suddenly becomes the most popular kid on the block, as it retains its speed and allows you to compensate for the lower power by pedaling through. Also, if you go on Best Electric City Rides and check out the stats for the X2, you’ll find that it has a lot more to offer than just a speedy ride around the block, so it’s definitely worth checking out.