E-bike charging on the camino - Contributing to cost

[Xali1970]

I've seen a few threads where the idea of charging the e-bike battery while enjoying lunch at a restaurant, a coffee shop or Taberna, and concurrently how much to offer for a full charge at an Albergue, is floated. I use an e-Bike regularly for day trips at home and need to avail of this help occasionally

I'm both looking for opinions and giving a reasoned opinion. I have seen suggestions on this and other forums ranging from the entitled stingy "I pay for a coffee, so I can plug in my monster power pack for 2 hours" to the royally generous of €5 for a lunch time charge. some campsites in Frances charge €2 for an overnight charge irrespective of the size of the powerbank.

I'm thinking of offering €1 for a lunchtime +/-1hour charge, and €2 for an overnight one.

I'll vary this with the cost of electricity, and I'm paying for the service of having a plug available to me more than the cost of power. I'm justifying the lunch v overnight difference with the imposition on the owner of the business: There often is a plug for every bed (more or less, and bring multiplug to leave 1 or more sockets for other pilgrims use while I hog it) while a restaurant/cafe may only have 1 or 2 outlets in the room open to the public and the battery/charger setup will be an imposition


My reasoning is the following:


As a reference I'll use the system I'm familiar: The Bosch e-bike system, I won't research the other popular ones (Yamaha, Bionx, Bafang, ...) as the numbers will be similar.

please note I'm not an engineer, and am happy to be corrected. These are approximations that - I think - are accurate enough for the purpose

charging efficiency 74% (found on ebike forum, though from experience with other devices not far off)
theoretical Power output : 36V x 4A = 144W
applying efficiency factor : 144W*100/74 = 195W

cost of electricity per kW/h €0.33

Cost per hour of charging : 0.33 *0.195 = €0.065

Full charging time from 0% to 100% for a
500Wh battery : 4.5h , cost = €0.29
1250Wh battery : 9.8h, cost = €0.63
Using a 4A charger (there are 2A and 6A chargers out there, the reasoning will be the same though the cost/time will vary)

 

[VNwalking]

cost of electricity per kW/h €0.33

That's the most important variable.
This recent article said:

The price of electricity in Spain's wholesale market has been set at €544.98 per megawatt hour for Tuesday March 8th 2022

€544.98 × 0.001 ~ €0.55
That's wholesale, this week, which may well go up. And goodness knows what the cost will be to the consumer.

I'd say as a good rule of thumb...be as generous as you can afford to be, rather than just covering costs. Businesses are coming off 2 years of Covid oblivion, and who knows what is coming at us.

 

[t2andreo]

Always offer to pay for charging an e-bike battery.

Electricity, especially in Spain is the single most taxed commodity. The price increased by several orders of magnitude this past winter.

 

[globetrotter]

Do you really have to ride an electric bike on the camino? It would seem that motorized vehicles should not be allowed except for powered wheelchairs for the disabled. I certainly hope that if you are going for a credential you will reveal that you rode a motored bicycle. Somehow, it doesn't seem right!

 

[henrythedog]

Do you really have to ride an electric bike on the camino? It would seem that motorized vehicles should not be allowed except for powered wheelchairs for the disabled. I certainly hope that if you are going for a credential you will reveal that you rode a motored bicycle. Somehow, it doesn't seem right!

I respect your point of view and disagree with you wholeheartedly. The only qualification for a compostella is the minimum distance and a suitable motivation. Even the latter criterion has been somewhat broadened in recent years.

Let others do as they will and apply your own standards to yourself. (Not addressed to ‘you’ specifically) It’s only a made-up-by-Man indulgence at the end of the day. Should I ever get to meet him I’m fairly sure St Peter will not be asking to see the paperwork.

And..

(Sorry, I’m going on a bit, but University Challenge has just finished and there’s nothing worth watching on the telly)

Where would one draw the line? Wheelchairs OK, electric bikes not OK?

Horses? Luggage transport? Walking poles?

 

[peregrina2000]

A discussion of whether e-bikes should be on the Camino, or whether their riders should qualify for a compostela, is really off-topic, so let’s focus on the question raised.

 

[ken2116]

Do you really have to ride an electric bike on the camino? It would seem that motorized vehicles should not be allowed except for powered wheelchairs for the disabled. I certainly hope that if you are going for a credential you will reveal that you rode a motored bicycle. Somehow, it doesn't seem right!

No rules I'm aware of, I believe one could ride in a sedan chair...

 

[ken2116]

I've seen a few threads where the idea of charging the e-bike battery while enjoying lunch at a restaurant, a coffee shop or Taberna, and concurrently how much to offer for a full charge at an Albergue, is floated. I use an e-Bike regularly for day trips at home and need to avail of this help occasionally

I'm both looking for opinions and giving a reasoned opinion. I have seen suggestions on this and other forums ranging from the entitled stingy "I pay for a coffee, so I can plug in my monster power pack for 2 hours" to the royally generous of €5 for a lunch time charge. some campsites in Frances charge €2 for an overnight charge irrespective of the size of the powerbank.

I'm thinking of offering €1 for a lunchtime +/-1hour charge, and €2 for an overnight one.

I'll vary this with the cost of electricity, and I'm paying for the service of having a plug available to me more than the cost of power. I'm justifying the lunch v overnight difference with the imposition on the owner of the business: There often is a plug for every bed (more or less, and bring multiplug to leave 1 or more sockets for other pilgrims use while I hog it) while a restaurant/cafe may only have 1 or 2 outlets in the room open to the public and the battery/charger setup will be an imposition


My reasoning is the following:


As a reference I'll use the system I'm familiar: The Bosch e-bike system, I won't research the other popular ones (Yamaha, Bionx, Bafang, ...) as the numbers will be similar.

please note I'm not an engineer, and am happy to be corrected. These are approximations that - I think - are accurate enough for the purpose

charging efficiency 74% (found on ebike forum, though from experience with other devices not far off)
theoretical Power output : 36V x 4A = 144W
applying efficiency factor : 144W*100/74 = 195W

cost of electricity per kW/h €0.33

Cost per hour of charging : 0.33 *0.195 = €0.065

Full charging time from 0% to 100% for a
500Wh battery : 4.5h , cost = €0.29
1250Wh battery : 9.8h, cost = €0.63
Using a 4A charger (there are 2A and 6A chargers out there, the reasoning will be the same though the cost/time will vary)

Your math is good. Local electricity rates may vary.

 

[VNwalking]

Electricity, especially in Spain is the single most taxed commodity.

This is another thing to consider, over and above the consumer cost per kwh. What we don't know is roughly how much per month users have to pay - which was the point of the OP. Unless someone like @Rebekah Scott chimes in, you'll just have to guess, @Xali1970, adding that to current kwh costs. Being generous and paying it forward is always a good idea.

 

[Xali1970]

Do you really have to ride an electric bike on the camino? It would seem that motorized vehicles should not be allowed except for powered wheelchairs for the disabled. I certainly hope that if you are going for a credential you will reveal that you rode a motored bicycle. Somehow, it doesn't seem right!

It's amazing what having one's femur shattered in an accident does to one's ability to walk with a pack or cycle unassisted.

We all have reasons driving our choices, and they're not always pleasant

 

[SabsP]

Always offer to pay for charging an e-bike battery.

Electricity, especially in Spain is the single most taxed commodity. The price increased by several orders of magnitude this past winter.

This is an interesting site.

Precio de la tarifa de luz por horas HOY | Consulta ahora ✅

Comprueba aquí el Precio actual de la Luz | Precios máximos y mínimos de la luz a lo largo del día, con y sin Discriminación Horaria del día que quieras

tarifaluzhora.es

 

[Xali1970]

This is an interesting site.

Precio de la tarifa de luz por horas HOY | Consulta ahora ✅

Comprueba aquí el Precio actual de la Luz | Precios máximos y mínimos de la luz a lo largo del día, con y sin Discriminación Horaria del día que quieras

tarifaluzhora.es

very helpful, thank you

 

[senora1]

I've seen a few threads where the idea of charging the e-bike battery while enjoying lunch at a restaurant, a coffee shop or Taberna, and concurrently how much to offer for a full charge at an Albergue, is floated. I use an e-Bike regularly for day trips at home and need to avail of this help occasionally

I'm both looking for opinions and giving a reasoned opinion. I have seen suggestions on this and other forums ranging from the entitled stingy "I pay for a coffee, so I can plug in my monster power pack for 2 hours" to the royally generous of €5 for a lunch time charge. some campsites in Frances charge €2 for an overnight charge irrespective of the size of the powerbank.

I'm thinking of offering €1 for a lunchtime +/-1hour charge, and €2 for an overnight one.

I'll vary this with the cost of electricity, and I'm paying for the service of having a plug available to me more than the cost of power. I'm justifying the lunch v overnight difference with the imposition on the owner of the business: There often is a plug for every bed (more or less, and bring multiplug to leave 1 or more sockets for other pilgrims use while I hog it) while a restaurant/cafe may only have 1 or 2 outlets in the room open to the public and the battery/charger setup will be an imposition


My reasoning is the following:


As a reference I'll use the system I'm familiar: The Bosch e-bike system, I won't research the other popular ones (Yamaha, Bionx, Bafang, ...) as the numbers will be similar.

please note I'm not an engineer, and am happy to be corrected. These are approximations that - I think - are accurate enough for the purpose

charging efficiency 74% (found on ebike forum, though from experience with other devices not far off)
theoretical Power output : 36V x 4A = 144W
applying efficiency factor : 144W*100/74 = 195W

cost of electricity per kW/h €0.33

Cost per hour of charging : 0.33 *0.195 = €0.065

Full charging time from 0% to 100% for a
500Wh battery : 4.5h , cost = €0.29
1250Wh battery : 9.8h, cost = €0.63
Using a 4A charger (there are 2A and 6A chargers out there, the reasoning will be the same though the cost/time will vary)

Xali very helpful post for me. As you know I am planning on riding Camino/side roads in June and have been trying to work out distances, came to the conclusion that at least 3 days I will need to take a long lunch and offer a few euros for charging. Thanks for the detailed post

 

[Xali1970]

Xali very helpful post for me. As you know I am planning on riding Camino/side roads in June and have been trying to work out distances, came to the conclusion that at least 3 days I will need to take a long lunch and offer a few euros for charging. Thanks for the detailed post

You are most welcome.

 

[SabsP]

very helpful, thank you

That is what most of us try to be here on this forum!

Happy preparations!

 

[trecile]

Here's some information in a previous post from @t2andreo about which types of e-bikes qualify one to receive a Compostela.

The issue of an e-bike being accepted as a ‘bicycle’ for Compostela purposes has been addressed several times before. The bottom line is that any bicycle type conveyance that REQUIRES you to pedal is acceptable. To be required to propel yourself forward is ‘Compostela legal.’

Thus, an electric-assist bicycle that uses a torque sensor to decide when you need the assistance of the auxiliary electric motor is acceptable. However, any electronic bicycle or similar conveyance that can operate in electric-only, throttle controlled mode is NOT legal.

As I understand things on the e-bike market in Europe, a Type I e-bike is ‘legal.’ Type II and Type III e-bikes are not - at least for Compostela purposes. Of course, I am not absolutely up to date on e-bike developments. But the basic premise remains: if you must pedal to move, you are okay. If pedaling is optional as long as the battery has charge, it is not okay.

I have seen security guards at the Pilgrim Office do a quick assessment of arriving e-bikes. I have not yet seen them turn anyone away.

Hope this helps.

Tom

 

[Susan Peacock]

It is lovely that you are so considerate and I am sure the generous Spanish people will appreciate it. In addition to the electric cost I would suggest that you check ahead to be sure that your accommodations have enough outlets. Although they exist, my experience on many Camino's is that most albergues do not have outlets for every bed and often there are only a couple in the entire room. I am assuming you will also be needing to charge a phone. Getting everyone charged sometimes takes sharing and cooperation. I take a multi-usb adapter so that 4 devices can charge at one time; accommodating multiple pilgrims. I'm guessing an e-bike doesn't use usb.

 

[t2andreo]

I carry a 2 or 3-way “cube tap” to expand a single outlet into 2 or three outlets so I can share one outlet. My iPhone charger also has 2 USB plugs -again - to share. The slight extra weight is offset by other’s appreciation.

You can buy these plug expanders in any China store, Oriental Bazar, or hardware store (Ferreteria). The two round-pin Euro standard “Schuko” plug is the plug format used in Spain.

Hope this helps.

Tom

 

[WGroleau]

I'm thinking of offering €1 for a lunchtime +/-1hour charge, and €2 for an overnight one.

I think the offer will be a surprise to most.

cost of electricity per kW/h €0.33

For what it's worth: I rented a piso in Burgos February, March, April. Electric bills were €50,00 & €50,38 & €56,98. I kept the bills, but I don't know where they are now, else I'd tell you whether the cost is close to your estimate. But that covered three months of electric cooking, microwave, refrigerator, laundry, and heat.