Pole eMTB breaks cover with ultra-integrated motor and battery systems

Pole has been teasing its CNC machined eMTB on social media giving us glimpses are a mystery motor and battery system! Here are our thoughts.

Pole has a history of doing things their way. The Evolink was and still is pretty unique, their geometry is still longer and slacker than much of the rest of the industry and who would have thought a small Finnish company would be the first to release CNC machined full-suspension bikes?

With fat bikes, steel hardtails and CNC machined enduro bikes already in their range, the next logical step for Pole was obviously an eMTB and looking through their Instagram feed they’re clearly well into the development of an electrically assisted bike.

These spy photos have obviously been posted to hide all the most interesting details of the new Pole ‘E-Machine’ but even eMTB riders with just a passing knowledge of current motor and battery tech will see that Pole is once again doing things differently.

First of all, what’s obvious from the teaser photos is that the Pole eMTB will feature a similar CNC construction to the Stamina range of bikes which feature two CNC alloy halves bonded together. However, we’re more interested to know which motor and battery system Pole has chosen to use and this is where things get really interesting.

From the shots, we’ve been able to uncover we can make out that Pole has cleverly integrated the motor into the CNC chassis of the frame making it difficult to identify. Initially, we thought that perhaps Pole is using a Shimano EP8 motor system as it is designed to be rotated up into the frame for better integration. It’s possible even that Pole has removed the guts of an EP8 and built the motor directly into the frame, although we’re not quite sure Shimano would be on board with such an approach.

Another possibility is a Fazua motor system. The Fazua motor is perhaps the most compact of any drive unit on the market and is unique in that the BB area is a gearbox and that the motor and battery can be removed as a complete unit. With the motor and battery installed the Fazua system offers 3 modes of assist but removed the space can be used as a storage area for tools, food or anything else you might want to take on your ride. Trek recently used the Fazua system on the E-Caliber to create a lightweight XC ebike.

The possibility that Pole is using a Fazua system is made even more likely when we take a look at this screenshot from an Instagram story that shows a handlebar-mounted motor controller similar to the new Fazua unit.

Further details that are revealed in the images include the battery compartment with the door located on the top of the downtube rather than beneath. This would improve the weather sealing of the Fazua system and would also make the compartment easier to access when used for storage.

Of course, this is all speculation and we won’t know the official details until Pole lets us know, but whatever might assist this new eMTB along the trails we’re sure it’s going to push the geometry envelope of eMTB’s in typical Pole fashion.