Dual Motor Electric Rickshaw Range Test: 20 Miles With 480 lbs Aboard

Putting the Dual Motor Rickshaw's 80-Mile Range Estimate to the Test

We give the dual motor version of our rickshaw a range estimate of up to 80 miles. A number like that is easy to print on a product page. What I wanted to know is what this trike actually does on a real ride, with real weight on it, over real hills. So I grabbed my coworker Jeff, tossed a jacket and some water under the seat, and set out on a 20-mile round trip from our office in San Clemente, California, down to the beach, up Pacific Coast Highway to Dana Point Harbor, and back up the hill to the office.

This is the longest ride we've ever done on the dual motor. I kept an eye on the odometer and both battery readings the entire way, and I'm going to walk you through every checkpoint so you can see exactly how the battery drained, where the extra motor earned its keep, and where I could have ridden smarter. If you've been browsing our electric rickshaw lineup and wondering whether the dual motor is worth it, this ride should answer a lot of your questions.

The setup: two motors, two batteries

The dual motor rickshaw runs a front hub motor and a rear-mounted motor, for a total combined output of 1,500 watts. Each motor is paired with its own battery, and each of those batteries is 21 amp hours, which gives you 42 amp hours of total capacity on board. That one-battery-per-motor arrangement shapes how you should ride this trike, and it came up again and again on our ride. Hold onto it, because it's the key to getting the most range out of the machine.

I could see both batteries on the display the whole time, each with its own charge reading. I also didn't plan to run both motors the entire way, and I'd encourage you not to either. You simply won't need the full 1,500 watts on most flat stretches, and switching between single and dual motor is a big part of the range strategy I'll lay out later.

Why our test was close to a worst-case scenario

If you've watched any of our other videos, you've probably heard me say I'm 230 pounds. Turns out I'm more like 240. Jeff is about the same, so between the two of us we had roughly 480 pounds on this trike before you even count the water and the jacket. I'm fairly confident that's a lot heavier than the average family that's going to ride one of these. If anything, that makes our results a conservative look at range. A lighter rider with a couple of kids on the back is asking far less of the motors and batteries than we were.

Height plays into it too. I'm 5'10", and Jeff is 6'4". With him on the back bench, you can see there isn't much room for anyone else back there. A tall adult takes up most of the bench; smaller passengers leave more room. If you're shopping specifically for something to carry people, our e-trikes for passengers collection is a good place to compare your options side by side.

A quick tour of the controls

Before we rolled out, I walked through the cockpit. On the right, I have a thumb throttle I can use any time, plus five levels of pedal assistance. On my left hand, I've got controls for my blinkers, my light, and my horn. There's also a reverse function, which is a new feature on the dual motor. That's a welcome addition on this model because it's a bit heavier than our other rickshaws, and backing a heavy trike out of a tight spot by hand gets old fast. If reverse is high on your list, we also group trikes that have it in our reverse gear e-trikes collection.

For stopping, it has hydraulic disc brakes, which I'll come back to once we start heading downhill. There's a color display up front that shows me everything that's going on, a front shock to smooth out the bumps, and storage under the passenger seat where we stashed our water and Jeff's jacket. Hydraulic brakes are a feature I really value on a trike carrying this much weight; you can browse more of our e-trikes with disc brakes if stopping power is a priority for you.

The throttle follows your assist level

Here's something a lot of people don't realize until they ride it. The assist level number on the display doesn't only control pedal assist; it also dictates the power output of the throttle. As we pulled out, I was only in level one, and we weren't going very fast on throttle. Kick it up a few levels, and the throttle delivers more speed. On some e-bikes and e-trikes, that's not the case. If the system is in level one or higher, the throttle often gives you full power regardless.

We made a deliberate choice to limit throttle power by assist level for safety. When you have passengers on the back, and especially kids, I'd much rather the throttle behave predictably than lurch forward at full power the moment someone bumps it. If you like the idea of riding on throttle alone, our e-trikes with throttle control collection shows every model that offers one.

A note on the law

One more thing worth mentioning before we hit the road. Depending on where you ride, there may be rules about motor output. Technically, in California, it isn't legal to ride or use an e-bike in excess of 750 watts. With the dual motor, you can push past that when both motors are engaged, so it's something to be mindful of. Check the rules where you live, and ride the way your local laws allow. On most of this ride, I was toggling between modes anyway, because using the second motor only when you need it is also the smartest thing you can do for your battery.

Our office sits up on a hill, so the first leg of the ride was mostly downhill as we navigated through town toward the beach. I told Jeff I'd drive nice and easy, since he was trusting me with his life back there. It was a beautiful day for this, sunny with a light breeze, and those first few miles were a good chance to show how I manage the power.

Ease off the assist on downhills and flats

If you own an e-bike or e-trike, one of the simplest strategies for stretching your battery is to limit the assistance level you use whenever you're coming downhill or riding on flat ground. If you're cranking along in level five the whole way, you're going to burn through your charge far faster than you need to. I'll admit, once we got to some longer flat stretches, I cranked it up for a bit. But early on, there was no reason to be going fast. In fact, I was only in level four on that first downhill, and we were already doing 19 miles an hour.

One battery per motor: why single motor mode saves range

Think about the setup for a second. With two motors and two batteries, you've essentially got one battery powering each motor. Running both motors means drawing on both batteries at once. So a good way to preserve your battery is to switch back to a single motor on flat ground, where you don't need the extra push.

Switching modes is easy. You press and hold a button on the controls, and the trike toggles between dual motor and single motor. Later in the ride, I showed the exact combination: you hold the M button and the minus button together. On the display, there's a small bicycle icon, and when both motors are working, both of its tires are highlighted green. When I dropped into single motor, I chose the rear motor only. I'd advise against running the front motor by itself on this model. The extra motor and extra battery add weight, and the rear motor is the better choice for pushing that load on its own.

Hydraulic brakes on a long downhill

Coming down the hill toward the coast, I kept our speed right around 19 miles an hour by applying gentle pressure on the brake levers. With hydraulic disc brakes, you don't need to squeeze hard to scrub off speed. If I'd wanted to stop harder, I could have, but it wasn't necessary. I did try to make a green light at one point and didn't quite get there. It turned red, so we stopped and waited. No problem.

The battery percentage is an estimate, not a fuel gauge

This is one of the most useful things to understand about the display. The battery percentage you see is going to change based on the estimated range at your current settings. Right after I switched into single motor, I shifted down into level three, and my battery percentage went up. That's because the number isn't a direct reading of the charge based on voltage. It's an estimate: if you keep riding at this level of assistance, at this speed, you'll have roughly this much battery left.

I actually like that. If you're heading out on a longer ride, the display gives you a running estimate of how much you might need to dial things back, whether that means dropping an assist level, leaning more on pedal assist than throttle, or switching to a single motor. It also means you'll see the number jump around as you change settings or hit hills. Don't panic when it dips on a climb; it's telling you what would happen if you kept riding that way.

Getting through the hairy stretch

A few miles in, we hit a section I don't love. There's no bike lane, it's a chaotic area right by the high school, and there's a freeway entrance nearby, which doesn't help anyone's case for staying safe. Luckily, school was still in session, so it was relatively quiet. I checked on Jeff, then cranked us up into level five so I could keep up with the flow of traffic and get through while there were no cars behind us. The good news is that San Clemente is used to e-bikes at this point, and drivers gave us room.

At that point we were at 96% battery. For reference, the odometer read 8.5 miles when we started, and we were now at 10.4, so we'd covered just under two miles. Once we reached the bike lane, I dialed back to level three and ran on the rear motor only.

A wide load is a visible load

I'll be honest: once you get moving on this thing, you wish you could go faster. It would be nice to cruise at 30, but the laws are the laws. One underrated benefit of a trike this size is that cars can see you. We were a wide load, and that presence on the road is a real safety advantage compared to a narrow bicycle.

The first hill: feeling the second motor

Then came our first hill. I put it into level four right before the incline and felt a nice surge, then kicked it up to level five. Jeff felt it immediately. I even took my feet off the pedals and ran on throttle alone, and the trike kept climbing with both of us aboard. Jeff's verdict was that it felt very powerful.

Now, that's not a great idea if you're trying to make the battery last, and we still had more than ten miles to go. But it showed what the dual motor is for. If you just want to relax and enjoy the scenery with zero exertion whatsoever, this trike will let you do that. That's exactly what we wanted out of this ride.

When we reached the coast, we had a choice: head south toward the San Clemente Pier area or north toward Dana Point Harbor. The pier itself was closed while work was being done on erosion, so Jeff and I agreed on north. It's a nice, flat, good ride, which made it a great stretch for testing cruising range.

Don't be like me: install your mirrors

Here's an honest confession. As I signaled for a turn, I realized I'd forgotten to put my mirrors on. This trike actually comes with mirrors, and I simply forgot to install them. They're genuinely helpful on a vehicle this wide, so don't be like me. Install your mirrors.

While I'm being honest, the turn signals could be a little more visible. The display does show a blinker indicator, which helps, but you do have to turn the blinker off yourself after the turn. I forgot to do that more than once on this ride, and at one point I hit the wrong button trying. It's a habit you'll build quickly, but it's worth knowing going in.

We waited at a long red light, and it took every ounce of my body not to go against it, but I wanted to obey the rules of the road. Someone on the sidewalk recognized our rickshaw while we sat there, which is always fun. And for anyone wondering, this trike fits through bike trails, bike paths, you name it.

Speed limits: throttle versus pedal assist

On the flat beach path, I first held level three to be mindful of the battery, especially on the way out. At level three, we were cruising around 16 to 17 miles an hour. Then I cranked it up, and with pedal assist, we were going above 20, right around 21 to 22 miles an hour.

That's a distinction worth understanding. Under the rules we follow, a throttle-only ride is capped at 20 miles an hour, while pedal assist can take you up to 28. So when you're pedaling with assist, you can legally cruise a little faster than you can on throttle alone. We were about four miles in at this point and cruising comfortably.

A legitimate mode of transportation

With both motors running on that stretch, the difference was obvious. The power really turns this trike into a legitimate mode of transportation. With two motors, there's just so much more you can do. Jeff said it was very comfortable on the back bench, and with the sun out, a breeze off the water, and a perfectly clear view of the ocean, neither of us had any complaints. It's an ideal way to bring your kids along.

Around five and a half miles in, both batteries were sitting at about 80%. I kept one eye on that number, because I knew I'd need a healthy reserve for the hills back up to our office.

Riding PCH through Capistrano Beach

For anyone following along on a map, we were heading north on PCH through Capistrano Beach, which is technically part of Dana Point. There are some beautiful houses along that stretch, with a railroad track running right behind their backyards. It's a long straightaway that can get chilly, and it's freezing at night. I eased back into level three at about 16 miles an hour, then nudged it up again to 21. It's amazing how much difference one or two miles an hour makes. Twenty feels good. Sixteen feels slow.

At one point, another e-bike rider passed us on the left on a throttle-only bike, going at least 25 or 26 miles an hour. We were doing 21 on pedal assist, so he was well over the throttle limit. He must have changed the settings on that bike. That's not how we want to ride, and I'll explain why in a moment.

Into Dana Point Harbor

We rolled into Dana Point Harbor at low tide, with the rocks exposed and the beach looking almost perfectly combed. We needed a bit more power up the short hill at the harbor entrance, and the trike handled it without a problem. About seven and a half miles in, we were still at 75% battery. Jeff called that impressive, and I agreed. Part of the reason is that I'd been doing a lot of pedaling with assist rather than relying only on the throttle, which is also good for the battery. If you didn't care about going as fast, you could preserve even more.

Be respectful out there

I think the most important thing when you're on an e-bike or e-trike, especially one with dual motors for hills, is simply to be respectful. Respect the law, the posted speeds, and other riders. The problem is that too many e-bike riders haven't been respectful, and now lots of new regulations are being put in place. So through the harbor, I cranked down to level two and took it at a nice, leisurely pace. There was a 10 mph speed limit, which is no problem to obey happily.

I also want to stress that the weight and load you're carrying will greatly affect your range. Heavier loads make the motors work harder, plain and simple. If you regularly carry heavy riders or passengers, our high weight capacity e-trikes are built with that kind of load in mind.

Grass, reverse, and riding like a pedestrian

Inside the harbor, I couldn't resist a quick demonstration. I cut through a patch of grass and cranked up the assist level to push through it. It was a little bumpier for Jeff, but the trike went through just fine. A bit later, I got to use the reverse function to back out of a tight spot without getting off the trike, and Jeff said that worked out really well. That's exactly why it's nice to have, especially if you don't want to climb off to reposition a heavy trike.

A quick note on how I ride: sometimes I act like a pedestrian and use the crosswalks, and other times I stop at the light like a car. I prefer acting like a pedestrian, honestly, because I'm not crazy about being in the middle of the road. It just depends on where I am and who's with me.

The turnaround: 10 miles and 70% left

A bit further along, we were at about 70% battery with eight and a half miles behind us. I'd been running dual motor most of the way while varying the assist level. Had I dialed things back and run just one motor more often, I'd estimate we'd have been closer to 80 or 85% on both batteries. Jeff checked the readings and saw 72% on one battery and 70% on the other.

We rolled to the far end of the harbor near the Ocean Institute, a cool little spot if you're local and have kids, and parked. The display read 18.3 miles, so we'd covered just about 10 miles one way, with 70% battery remaining. We were looking strong for the ride home. We took about five minutes to rest our butts, then I switched to rear motor only and we turned around.

A lot of people ask whether the dual motor is worth it over our single motor rickshaw. After this ride, I can give you a clearer answer, because I've spent plenty of time on both with heavy loads. The short version is that the second motor isn't about cruising speed on flat ground. It's about the top end, the hills, and how much work you personally have to do.

On the flats, one motor does the job

Leaving the harbor in single motor mode, running the rear motor only, we were still going 15 miles an hour with 480 pounds aboard. On flat ground, a single 750-watt motor handles the load just fine. Where the dual motor helps is on the top end of your speed and, in particular, on hills. On the long straightaways, I'd switch into dual when I wanted to get through quickly and settle into a faster cruise, then drop back to single to conserve the batteries.

On hills, the difference is dramatic

This is where the comparison gets real. If you've watched my other videos, you know that even a small incline on our single motor rickshaw, with 240 pounds on the back plus my own weight, is a very different experience. On the final climb back to our office, I can tell you from experience that our 750-watt front hub rickshaw would have meant a lot more work for me with Jeff on the back. On the dual motor, I could hold the throttle and let the trike climb. It's the difference between a workout and a relaxing ride.

Rider weight matters more than most people think

I want to be upfront about something: the heavier the driver and passengers, the harder any hill is going to be. I do have a rickshaw at home, and I take my kids up hills on it. But it depends on how much you weigh. If I weighed more like 170 pounds, the climbing would be a lot better. If Jeff and I combined weighed 340 pounds instead of 480, we'd be able to climb a lot more hills a lot more easily. Every pound counts on a climb, and the extra motor is what bridges that gap when the load is heavy.

Adding a second row of seats? Go dual

Our rickshaws have a hitch on the back, so you can attach a second row of seating. If you're thinking about doing that, putting it on the dual motor is a good idea. You're going to get a lot more power, and that's what makes hills possible when you're pulling more people. Adding a whole second row of riders to a single motor setup on hilly terrain is asking a lot.

How the batteries behave in each mode

Because each motor has its own battery, how you use the motors determines how quickly you work through your total capacity. Running both motors means drawing on both batteries at once to deliver more power. If you can get away with using just one motor, you're asking less of the system overall, and you're going to have a lot more battery life. That's why the smartest way to ride the dual motor is to treat the second motor as something you switch on for hills, merges, and fast stretches, rather than leaving it on everywhere.

To put numbers on it from our ride: with dual motor engaged most of the way out, we reached the turnaround at 70%. My estimate is that riding the same route mostly on a single motor would have left us at roughly 80 to 85%. That's a meaningful difference over a ten-mile leg, and it compounds over a longer day.

Which one makes sense for you

Here's how I'd think about it after this ride:

• If you ride mostly on flat ground with lighter passengers, a single motor rickshaw will handle your rides comfortably, and pedal assist will do plenty of the work for you.
• If you live somewhere hilly, carry heavier adults, or want zero exertion on climbs, the dual motor is the better fit. The second motor is what makes steep hills manageable with a full load.
• If you plan to add a second row of seating through the hitch, I'd go dual motor without much hesitation.
• If you're torn, think about the worst hill on your regular route and who will be on the back when you climb it. That hill should decide it, not the flat stretches.

Every rider's situation is different, and our full electric tricycle collection covers a wide range of motors, frames, and seating styles. If you'd like a personal recommendation based on your height, weight, and the riding you plan to do, you can get fitted and we'll help you narrow it down.

Heading back out of the harbor, we took a quick detour to see the construction. I used to live in Dana Point, and I'd ride my bike down there. When I moved here about 11 years ago, the harbor was so quiet you could always get parking. Now a lot of it is being torn down for a massive renovation. Areas Jeff had ridden through just a week earlier were already fenced off. It will be nice when it's finished, but it's a little sad to see. The good news is that we can still get there from our office on an e-bike, and the first four hours of parking are free if you drive.

Throttle is easier in crowded spots

When we rolled through places with lots of pedestrians, I found it easier to control my speed with the throttle than with pedal assist. With pedal assist, the motor responds to your pedaling, which can make it harder to creep along at walking pace. With the throttle, I can feather the power exactly how I want. That's one more reason I like having a throttle on a trike like this, especially in busy areas where you want to be respectful.

At one point, Jeff mentioned he'd brought an extra battery for me just in case. At that checkpoint, cruising in single motor, the display showed 57%. And again, I'd been running dual motors a lot of the way with a pretty heavy load. For perspective, imagine a 180-pound rider with a couple of kids on the back who together weigh maybe 120 pounds. That's about 300 pounds total. We were at 480 pounds combined, and Jeff, at 6'4", was riding comfortably the whole time.

Can you ride it through sand?

People always ask whether you can ride through sand. Honestly, the answer is no, at least not thick sand. The trike itself weighs about 150 pounds, and it needs more power than it has to get the wheels moving through loose, deep sand. Hard-packed sand is another story, and you could ride that. I was very tempted when we passed a stretch of beach, thinking about when we'd ever be back there. Jeff talked me out of it with a reasonable point: unless I wanted to walk home, we probably shouldn't. With our weight, he was right. We'd likely have been too heavy to make it through.

Holding 20 mph on throttle

Back on the long straightaway, there was a small incline where I realized I should have had it in dual motor. I'd left it in single, which was fine, but with 480 pounds it slowed us down. So I opened it up to dual and said, let's get home fast.

With the throttle fully pressed, I asked Jeff to read the speedometer. It said exactly 20.0. The system literally stopped the throttle right at 20 on the nose. Even when I pedaled along with it, we hovered right around 20 to 20.2. Without Jeff on the back, I could probably go three or four miles an hour faster in pedal assist, but with our load, that was our cruise. This is my kind of riding: press the throttle, 20 miles an hour, enjoy the breeze. At that pace, we were knocking out about three minutes a mile.

Battery checkpoints on the way back

Around 15 miles into the ride, we were at 50% battery. A little further, at about 16 miles in, we were sitting right at exactly 50%. At about 17 miles, with the assist cranked up to level five, the display estimated roughly 45%. That's the estimate behavior I explained earlier: it shows you what you'll have left if you keep riding at your current settings. The harder you push, the lower the number goes.

We also picked up a clicking sound from somewhere at the back during the ride. Neither of us could tell what it was, so it went on the list to investigate once we were back at the office. I'd rather tell you about it than pretend every ride is perfect. Any vehicle you put real miles on will occasionally ask for a little attention.

The final climb

Here's where the dual motor really pays dividends. Getting back to our office means a gradual hill past the high school, followed by our big climb. On the flats before it, I dropped to level four to conserve a little battery.

For the sake of the video, I didn't mind getting stopped at a red light partway up the first incline, because it let me show you a standing start uphill with 480 pounds aboard. I was also in gear seven, the highest gear. I should have downshifted, but it is what it is. The trike got us moving from a dead stop on the incline without trouble. Not bad at all, considering the weight we were carrying.

For the last big hill, I pressed it up to level five in dual motor. Jeff asked if I was going to kick it down a gear, and honestly, it didn't need it. We were still going 17 miles an hour up the hill. As it got steeper, we slowed down, but it kept climbing at about 13 mph. It only feels slow because we'd been running at 20 the whole time. At one point I went throttle only, with no pedaling at all. That's 480 pounds, straight up, with almost no exertion on my end. On the steepest section, I pedaled a little just to help it along. With the throttle fully compressed, dual motor, and level five, the battery readout was bouncing around 30%.

The finish: 20.4 miles and 35% left

We made it. Once we crested the hill, I didn't need to preserve anything, so I let the 1,500 watts do their thing for the home stretch. Back at the office, I brought the camera in close on the display so everyone could see I'm telling the truth. The odometer read 28.9 miles. We started at 8.5, which means we covered 20.4 miles. Both batteries were sitting at 34 to 35%.

Jeff said he enjoyed the ride, and I enjoyed getting back. Honestly, I'm pretty excited about those numbers myself.

So here's the bottom line. I ran dual motor with a heavy load for a good portion of 20 miles, including hills, standing starts, and plenty of 20 mph cruising, and we still had about 35% of our battery left. With 480 pounds aboard, I think that's a strong result. It also definitely outperforms any of our other rickshaws in terms of range, torque, and power. The extra battery and the extra power are the big upgrades, and the power is the most beneficial part for the driver, especially on the hills.

How you could stretch it toward 80 miles

With less weight, or by using the assistance levels more strategically to preserve your battery, you can see how you could achieve the 80-mile estimate with a better strategy than the one I used. Here's what I'd do differently if range were my only goal:

• Run a single motor, preferably the rear, on flat ground, and save dual motor for hills, merges, and stretches where you really need it.
• Drop to a lower assist level on downhills and flats. Level three felt slow to me after cruising at 20, but it makes a real difference to the battery.
• Pedal with assist instead of relying only on the throttle. Your legs share the work, and the batteries last longer.
• Watch the display estimate. Because it reflects your current settings, it tells you right away whether to dial things back.
• Remember that weight matters. Lighter passengers and less cargo mean the motors don't have to work as hard.
• Downshift before climbs. I left it in seventh gear on a hill start, which worked, but it asks more of the motors than necessary.

If long-distance riding is your top priority, you can also compare our electric trikes with long range batteries to see how the dual motor stacks up against other options built for range.

Lessons from an imperfect ride

I don't want to pretend everything went perfectly. I forgot to install the mirrors that come with the trike, which was a mistake on a vehicle this wide. I left my blinker on a few times. I should have downshifted before the hill. We picked up a clicking noise that needed a look once we got back. None of that stopped us, and all of it is the kind of thing you'll sort out in your first few rides. I'd rather show you the real experience than a polished version that doesn't match what you'll actually live with.

Test ride it before you commit

If you want to find out more about the dual motor rickshaw, you'll find it in our rickshaw collection, along with the assembly video if you'd like to see what setup involves. We also offer a 30-day test ride. If you don't love it in the first 30 days, you can send it back. We also stand behind every trike with our warranty, so if something goes wrong, we'll take care of it.

If you'd like to do exactly what Jeff and I did, come see us in person. We're in San Clemente, California, and you can visit our store to test ride any of our e-bikes and e-trikes before you purchase. A test ride on your own local hills is the best way to make sure you're making the right choice.

Join the community and track your rides

Before you buy, I'd also encourage you to join our riders' Facebook group. There are thousands of members, and talking to existing owners is a great way to hear what living with one of these is really like. Once yours arrives, post in the group, make some friends, and download our app to track your rides and compete on the leaderboard. If you've got any other questions, comment on the video, email us at theteam@sixthreezero.mom, or call us at 310-982-2877.

Thanks to Jeff for trusting me with his life on the back bench for 20 miles. It's your journey. Enjoy the ride.