Trends for E-bikes in 2018
Smaller Batteries
While firms such as Bosch and Shimano are always looking to improve and refine their drive systems, this year’s important e-bike technical developments are more likely to be associated with power sources. Battery size and efficiency is something that’s an important topic for a vast range of modern products — from mobile phones to electric cars — and with the digital consumer hugely reliant on electrical power on the go, battery manufacturers are constantly searching to make theirs smaller, lighter, and hold a bigger charge for longer.
In the case of e-bikes that is particularly important because the battery is the main thing that makes pedal-assist models bulky, heavy and obviously different from ‘normal’ bikes. The battery’s ability to hold a charge is also key to an e-bike’s range — effectively regulating how far you can go on your e-bike before it runs out of power.
However, one increasingly popular idea is that manufacturers will start shying away from routinely fitting their models with the largest capacity battery possible and instead specify a battery size most suited to the bike’s intended use. So urban runarounds might be given much smaller batteries that will supply pedal-assist capabilities for only a few miles, meaning they will be lighter and more manageable but still have enough range to replace most common car journeys. Meanwhile…
Extended Range and E-touring
Of course, at the other end of the spectrum there are those who want to take their e-bike around the world. Just earlier this year we spoke to the ‘E-bike Cycle Tourists’ Rachel Kuiper and Gary Corbett, who travelled more 17,000 miles across the globe on pedal-assist machines. It seems that e-bike manufacturers recognise that Rachel and Gary are not unique.
One example of a long-range e-bike, descended from the legendary WorldTraveller model, is Koga’s E-WorldTraveller. This is a dedicated e-touring-bike with belt drive, hydraulic disc brakes, dynamo lights and puncture-proof, large volume tyres. Essentially it’s a machine that can be ridden across the world and carry significant weight, yet still come out the other side fully intact.
Taking things one step further, German firm Riese and Müller has developed DualBattery technology that allows the use of two power packs for enhanced range or load-carrying, with the option to remove one battery and replace it with a same-size frame bag if preferred. The idea of a double battery system seems an obvious solution for long-distance riding and touring, so it’s likely than we’ll see other manufacturers adopting variations on R and M’s DualBattery technology in the near future.
Increased Integration and Dual-use
Another concept that stems directly from battery requirements is integration. E-bike designers are rapidly creating pedal-assist products that no longer look like a bicycle with a battery strapped on, and they are combining this with further integration, such as lighting built into seatposts. Then, associated with the idea of integration is dual-use — where batteries can be removed entirely and the e-bike functions almost identically to a non-assisted bike
Possibly the most impressive example of e-bike integration and dual-use — and a winner at the 2017 Eurobike show — is Focus’s Project Y drop-bar bike. This features a full carbon frame, just like a typical road bike. However, hidden in the down tube at the bottom bracket is a lightweight Fuzua Evation motor and battery system. Weighing just 4kg, this drive system is housed in a single casing and can be removed simply by pressing a button, leaving you with a rather special but non-assisted road bike that comes in at less than 10kg. Essentially, Project Y is a bike that allows road riders to have their e-bike cake and eat it.
Folding e-bikes
It’s not just typical road, hybrid and mountain frames that will benefit from all this. The idea that battery packs and power systems can be reshaped and resized to suit a specific need is great news for electric folding bikes.
We’ve already got the world’s most iconic folding bike manufacturer Brompton ready to launch its first pedal-assist model, with it’s cleverly integrated front-rack mounted battery satchel early next year. Then there are innovations such as the tiny (but limited range) A-Bike designed by Sir Clive Sinclair, or the selection of increasingly refined folding e-bikes from mainstream brands, such as Raleigh’s 2018 Stow-E-Way model.
E-cargobikes
Finally, while pedal-only cargobikes have never caught on the UK in quite the same way as on the Continent, and especially the Netherlands, perhaps the advent of e-cargobikes will change that.
Models such as Tern’s GSD or Riese and Müller’s E-Cargo range could well appeal to people who want to replace their cars for more eco-friendly alternatives, without having to compromise excessively on load carrying. The large-capacity cargo bay on these models is good enough for bringing back shopping, transporting work tools, even taking the kids to school. So, while cargo bikes are currently only a very a tiny part of the UK market, perhaps the influences of motors and battery power may see them making sense to far more people.
While firms such as Bosch and Shimano are always looking to improve and refine their drive systems, this year’s important e-bike technical developments are more likely to be associated with power sources. Battery size and efficiency is something that’s an important topic for a vast range of modern products — from mobile phones to electric cars — and with the digital consumer hugely reliant on electrical power on the go, battery manufacturers are constantly searching to make theirs smaller, lighter, and hold a bigger charge for longer.
In the case of e-bikes that is particularly important because the battery is the main thing that makes pedal-assist models bulky, heavy and obviously different from ‘normal’ bikes. The battery’s ability to hold a charge is also key to an e-bike’s range — effectively regulating how far you can go on your e-bike before it runs out of power.
However, one increasingly popular idea is that manufacturers will start shying away from routinely fitting their models with the largest capacity battery possible and instead specify a battery size most suited to the bike’s intended use. So urban runarounds might be given much smaller batteries that will supply pedal-assist capabilities for only a few miles, meaning they will be lighter and more manageable but still have enough range to replace most common car journeys. Meanwhile…
Extended Range and E-touring
Of course, at the other end of the spectrum there are those who want to take their e-bike around the world. Just earlier this year we spoke to the ‘E-bike Cycle Tourists’ Rachel Kuiper and Gary Corbett, who travelled more 17,000 miles across the globe on pedal-assist machines. It seems that e-bike manufacturers recognise that Rachel and Gary are not unique.
One example of a long-range e-bike, descended from the legendary WorldTraveller model, is Koga’s E-WorldTraveller. This is a dedicated e-touring-bike with belt drive, hydraulic disc brakes, dynamo lights and puncture-proof, large volume tyres. Essentially it’s a machine that can be ridden across the world and carry significant weight, yet still come out the other side fully intact.
Taking things one step further, German firm Riese and Müller has developed DualBattery technology that allows the use of two power packs for enhanced range or load-carrying, with the option to remove one battery and replace it with a same-size frame bag if preferred. The idea of a double battery system seems an obvious solution for long-distance riding and touring, so it’s likely than we’ll see other manufacturers adopting variations on R and M’s DualBattery technology in the near future.
Increased Integration and Dual-use
Another concept that stems directly from battery requirements is integration. E-bike designers are rapidly creating pedal-assist products that no longer look like a bicycle with a battery strapped on, and they are combining this with further integration, such as lighting built into seatposts. Then, associated with the idea of integration is dual-use — where batteries can be removed entirely and the e-bike functions almost identically to a non-assisted bike
Possibly the most impressive example of e-bike integration and dual-use — and a winner at the 2017 Eurobike show — is Focus’s Project Y drop-bar bike. This features a full carbon frame, just like a typical road bike. However, hidden in the down tube at the bottom bracket is a lightweight Fuzua Evation motor and battery system. Weighing just 4kg, this drive system is housed in a single casing and can be removed simply by pressing a button, leaving you with a rather special but non-assisted road bike that comes in at less than 10kg. Essentially, Project Y is a bike that allows road riders to have their e-bike cake and eat it.
Folding e-bikes
It’s not just typical road, hybrid and mountain frames that will benefit from all this. The idea that battery packs and power systems can be reshaped and resized to suit a specific need is great news for electric folding bikes.
We’ve already got the world’s most iconic folding bike manufacturer Brompton ready to launch its first pedal-assist model, with it’s cleverly integrated front-rack mounted battery satchel early next year. Then there are innovations such as the tiny (but limited range) A-Bike designed by Sir Clive Sinclair, or the selection of increasingly refined folding e-bikes from mainstream brands, such as Raleigh’s 2018 Stow-E-Way model.
E-cargobikes
Finally, while pedal-only cargobikes have never caught on the UK in quite the same way as on the Continent, and especially the Netherlands, perhaps the advent of e-cargobikes will change that.
Models such as Tern’s GSD or Riese and Müller’s E-Cargo range could well appeal to people who want to replace their cars for more eco-friendly alternatives, without having to compromise excessively on load carrying. The large-capacity cargo bay on these models is good enough for bringing back shopping, transporting work tools, even taking the kids to school. So, while cargo bikes are currently only a very a tiny part of the UK market, perhaps the influences of motors and battery power may see them making sense to far more people.
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