Have you guys been keeping up with the latest Ebike News? There have been some exciting developments lately, from new battery technologies to improved motor efficiency. I recently read about a brand launching an ultra-lightweight electric bike with a longer range—perfect for commuting in NZ! Plus, with more cities investing in Ebike infrastructure, it looks like the future of cycling is electric. What are your thoughts on the latest innovations? Have you come across any game-changing Ebike technology recently?
The best ebikes all use proven simple technology that works robustly and reliably, and doesn't change. Many new technologies and ideas in ebikes have been and gone because they're unreliable, spare parts were impossible to get for repairs, and they didn't do what the marketing hype said they would.
The only way you get longer range out of an ebike is by pedalling harder or using a bigger and heavier battery. Over the years, batteries have slowly become better, both in reliability and energy density. Already motors have theoretical efficiency in the range 80% to 90%. Any improvement would be small, and anybody who claims extra range from a bike with a more efficient motor or transmission system is just spouting marketing hype. My advice is to be very skeptical about stuff you read that claims such things.
It's true that a bike becomes more efficient when it becomes lighter. For each 1kg mass reduction, the efficiency would increase by about 0.5%, so an ebike that weighs 18kg would be about 3% more efficient than a 24kg one, but lightweight normally means small battery, low power and short range.
metro.co.uk
