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https://bikerumor.com/look-concept-ebike-no-drivetrain-cixi-pers-vigoz/
This I think is really interesting from a conceptual idea. I dont think it could be restricted to leisure bikes either.
In theory you could set it to replicate 'gears' and adjust levels of assistance, even variable throughout the gear steps you choose, if that's what you want.
with the idler geared bikes, and the new pinion assisted gearbox, I think this is an interesting idea, if not new, but maybe technology has become available to make at least a working concept? to remove gears entirely, just levels of resistance based on torque inputs and algorithms.
weight may be an issue, or may not, it's still an e-bike afterall, but it may allow or more interesting suspension designs, without having a chain trying to pull the wheel toward the bottom bracket on every revolution.
or it may fall off as a failed experiment..I don't know..
If it doesn’t have a mechanical means of propulsion by a human, what’s the difference between this and a really slow moped? The only difference is you’re controlling the power output with your feet rather than your right hand.
It has a generator in the BB which supplies power to the rear wheels. The battery presumably just adds a bit.
Fun idea. No pedal kick back 🙂
Won’t it massively increase unsprung mass of the rear wheel? Not sure if we will see this concept on full suspension bikes.
I didn’t see any figures on how efficient the design is. Wonder what the loss is in turning kinetic energy into electric energy and back into kinetic energy?
It won't be very efficient.
I'd imagine it's an engineering solution to a politcal/legal problem of trying to avoid it being categorised as a moped.
Wonder what the loss is in turning kinetic energy into electric energy and back into kinetic energy?
Massive compared to a conventional drivetrain
There will be a huge energy loss converting mechanical energy at the pedals into electrical energy and then back to mechanical energy at the wheel. That's why hybrid cars still use a direct mechanical transmission to connect the engine to the wheels. It would be cheaper for hybrid cars to do away with the mechanical transmission and just use electric motors, but the loss of efficiency would be huge.
In this case, it's just a legal pretext to market an electric car as a bicycle.
That leads into Cixi’s dream – everyone on a bike. Even if that bike is a three-wheel, covered two-seater that can do 120kph and is certified for highway use (kind of like the Canyon Future Mobility Concept). That’s the story behind this wild Vigoz prototype that was also in the booth. The bike/car hybrid has an automatic tilting feature when cornering, and claims to have a 160km battery range that is rechargeable in 6h on standard 220v sockets.
It would be cheaper for hybrid cars to do away with the mechanical transmission and just use electric motors, but the loss of efficiency would be huge
Isn’t that what the bmw i3 with “range extender” 2cyl engine did?
https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-reviews/long-term-tests/bmw/bmw-i3-range-extender-2017-long-term-test-review/