Schaeffler e-bike motor relies on “dynamo pedaling”

Pedelecs
Dynamo pedaling – Schaeffler is revolutionizing the e-bike drive

The generator has the usual pedal spacing.

© Schaeffler / PR

No more chains or straps. A new drive is based on “Drive by Wire” – the cyclist generates additional electricity with the pedals.

So far, on every Pedelec, the power of the pedals has been brought from the bottom bracket to the rear wheel with a chain, belt or, in rare cases, a shaft. This tried and tested principle is now to be abandoned with e-bikes. Schaeffler’s “Free Drive” uses two electro-mechanical components. A motor goes into the driven wheel and a generator goes into the wheel hub. When you pedal, electricity is generated in the dynamo and it is fed into the electric drive system via a cable.

In principle, Schaeffler solves several problems in this way. On the one hand, the mechanical wear parts such as chain, cassette, pinion, etc. are simply eliminated. So they don’t have to be serviced or replaced. In the fleet business in particular, freedom from maintenance is an important issue. On the other hand, freer designs are now possible for the wheels because there does not have to be a direct connection between the crank and the drive wheel. Cargo bikes in particular can benefit from this.

But of course there are also disadvantages. As soon as the direct connection between pedaling and riding is broken, there will hardly be any real cycling feeling. And that is probably intentional. Not only do the pedals absorb power, they also act as a throttle. The generator’s sensors control the speed of the bike. On the other hand, the performance of the system is limited or depends heavily on the legal requirements. Today it is the case that a pedelec motor can deliver a maximum of 250 watts of continuous power, otherwise there is the biologically generated power of the cyclist, which acts on the rear wheel via chains or belts. In total, values ​​of 300 watts come together. With sporting exertion also significantly more.

Less power

As long as there is no special regulation, the Schaeffler wheel will have less power. The overall system delivers 250 watts of continuous power from the “pedal generator, drive motor, battery power pack and human-machine interface (HMI)”, Schaeffler then writes. Especially with cargo bikes that are actually supposed to transport heavy loads, 250 watts of continuous power on inclines is rather too little than too much.

These restrictions apply in the EU – in other countries such as the USA, far more generous limits apply, this effect is hardly noticeable. Schaeffler is a stranger to the bicycle market and has so far been known primarily as a supplier to the automotive industry. This makes it easier for you to develop engines that are rather untypical for bicycles. The greatest potential of free-drive is likely to be in three- or four-wheel cargo bikes.

And in regions that are less restrictive than the EU. There are markets in which the requirements of the legislature are far more generous and in which electric carts are promoted that are significantly smaller and more environmentally friendly than a combustion van, but at the same time far more powerful than the pedelecs of the EU. In the EU, these light vehicles have so far largely fallen through the grid of traffic planning.


Cycling without a chain could soon become a reality.

You can see in the video: No more chipped chains and oily hands – is this what the next generation of bicycles will look like?

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