What are electric bicycles?

When someone hears electric bicycle, the first image they imagine may be a scooter or electric motorcycle - but they actually look pretty different. Just picture a regular bicycle, then add several electrical components to it like a motor, a battery, and a controller - all seamlessly integrated into the design. These items make up the fundamentals of all electric bicycles on the market!

 

The motor

Electric bike motors come in a wide variety of power ratings, from 200W to 1,000W or more. The legal limit in the US is 750W, although different states can set their own limits.

Think of this limit kind of like horsepower. A higher rating means that the bike will be able to pull more weight with greater ease - but at the expense of using more battery capacity while doing so. Consequently, a 750W motor will drain the battery much quicker than a 250W one, but it will be more powerful.

One more factor needs to be considered, however. The design and location of the motor plays an important role in how electric bikes work.

The most common type of motor for electric bikes is called a hub motor. It is generally integrated into the rear or front wheel. When engaged, it pulls or pushes the wheel along. Although this system works well, it has one key disadvantage. Since it is not connected to the bike's gears, it loses efficiency on hills and varied terrain. Imagine driving a vehicle in just one gear the entire day. It will get you places, but it won't give you the optimum amount of torque or speed that you get with a full gear range. At EVELO, we offer a patented mid-drive motor, which is integrated with the crank and the gears. This adds several advantages: Increased performance while spending less battery energy, since the mid-drive motor uses the bike's existing gears; Much better hill climbing power, since you can switch gears depending on the incline; and Handling is improved, since the motor is positioned closer to the ground, keeping the weight centre and low.

 

The battery

Since the battery affects the weight, style, and range of the bike, its choice is crucial. Batteries play a huge part in how electric bikes work. The majority of the batteries you'll find offered on the market fall into one of the following two categories: Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) These batteries were once the standard battery type for most electric scooters and electric bicycles. These days, most electric scooters still use SLA batteries, while electric bikes (which often require human input) have opted for newer battery technologies to keep the bike as lightweight as possible.