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| Electric bikes may revolutionize design |
German company Schaeffler (Schaeffler) has introduced an innovative electric electric bike system that bypasses traditional bicycle chain and belt and instead uses an all-electric system.
The new system is called Schaeffler Free Drive. It was developed with Heinzmann, an expert in electric bike transportation. It relies on a generator mounted on the bike's bottom bracket.
The movement of the passenger pedal powers the generator and converts the energy from mechanical energy into electrical energy.
This eliminates the need for mechanical power to be transmitted to the rear wheels in any way, such as chains or belts.
This force is transmitted to the rear wheels through cables installed inside or outside the bike frame. rather than being sent mechanically through a chain. It is converted back into mechanical energy to move the bike forward.
This wired bicycle system is controlled via a CAN connection between the motor, battery, alternator and control electronics. The alternator can change the pedal resistance depending on the desired or specified pedal force.
When a rider pedals hard enough to generate excess power (more than the power required to run the engine at the current speed), the power is transferred to the e-bike's battery for later use.
The rear engine can also perform regenerative braking, which is another way to recharge the battery while driving. Motor power 250 watts.
Electric bikes may revolutionize design
Although it seems like a very complicated system for traditional e-bikes. But its advantages for non-traditional e-bikes should not be underestimated.
Electric bike drive systems for hauling cargo, especially those with three or even four wheels, can become complex and costly with conventional mechanical operation.
However, the bike's wired control system allows e-bike designers to be more creative when designing bikes.
You will no longer limit yourself to creating long chains or multi-stage reduction gears. Or they design according to the needs of the vehicle and organize, if necessary, the electrical systems around the tyres.
In addition, a new drive system allows the rider to charge the e-bike's battery while pedaling.
However, one major drawback of the setup is low pedal efficiency. A Schaeffler representative explained that the efficiency of the Schaeffler Free Drive is about 5% lower than that of sequential drives.
As he explained, this means that compared to the same tracked motorcycle, the rider needs to increase the battery by 5% to get the same distance, or reduce the range by 5%.