What Is a Power-assisted Bicycle?

• A power-assisted bicycle is also known as an "electric bicycle" or "e-bike."
• An e-bike is a bicycle with an added battery powered electric motor that does not exceed 500 watts and can assist the cyclist up to a speed of 32 km/h.
• It can also be driven like a bicycle without any power assist.
• The addition of the power assist enables the rider to pedal with less effort, to achieve a greater distance, to climb hills and ride against the wind more easily. In its size, weight, speed and the driving skills required, the e-bike is similar to the conventional bicycle.

Is a Power-assisted Bicycle the Same as an e-Bike?

Yes. An e-bike is considered a power-assisted bicycle as long as it meets all the requirements of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act.

Why Do People Choose to Ride an Electric Bike? Because they:

1. Enjoy the feeling of riding a bicycle - except for hills, starts, and headwinds.
2. Prefer their local errands to be easy, hassle free and low cost.
3. Like to save money and protect the environment.
4. Look for extra chances to exercise - even if it's just a little. In fact, riding an e-bike can increase your fitness. You can ride to work without difficulty. You still have to exercise
5. Still need convenient, point-to-point transportation using safe traffic free bike lanes we have all paid for but rarely use!
6. Want their own traffic "lane", convenient parking spots and shortcuts. No traffic congestion.
7. Considered a gas-powered moped or small motorcycle, but dislike the noise, smell, safety issues, starting problems and special laws.
8. Riding an electric bike doesn't mean you're lazy. You are a smart educated consumer reducing air pollution and having fun doing it.
9. Because you can be assisted when going uphill, you do not need to spend excessive energy, you feel less tired and your body continues to operate in your optimum aerobic zone.
10. Enjoy your ride and use the assist when you feel like it. They are not motor bike they require input from rider and motor to operate effectively.
11. With a conventional bicycle, many people exceed their aerobic zone when riding uphill then feel completely drained and are unable to enjoy the ride.
12. Can ride work in a suite or work clothes.

LiFePO4 Power Battery: The new generation power solution for Electric Vehicle-----a most advanced technology in the world ---the application tendency for lithium iron phosphate as cathode or anode (LIFEPO4 technology).

Due to the shortage of fossil fuels and environmental concerns, we're convinced that the green energy industry and related industries will become the main stream in the coming 30-50 years. This causes a strong demand of LiFePO4 rechargeable batteries.

Lithium iron phosphate cell has the best safety characteristics, long cycle life (up to 2000 cycles) and good availability. It is very suitable for high discharge rate application, such as EV (including e-bike, electric scooter, and electric car), power tools, UPS and solar energy system.

Key Features and Advantages of LiFePO4 Media

1. High Performance.
2. Extremely Safe/Stable Chemistry High intrinsic safety, no explosion & will not catch fire under collision, over charged or short circuit. High thermal stability of phases up to 500C.
3. High Rate Capability for all high power output application.
4. Extraordinary Long Cycle Life Best can up to 2000 cycle life, would be over 8 times life of Lead Acid and 3 times of Li-ion.
5. Environmentally Friendly Non-toxic, non-contaminating No rare metal, UL, CE, SGS/ROHS approved. LiFePO4 technology does not contain any heavy metals and does not exhibit the "memory effect" of Nickel-Cadmium and Nickel-metal Hydride solutions.
6. Another key benefit of our LiFePo4 technology is its flexibility, both in terms of battery application and cell design. Small in size and light in weight 1/3 weight of Lead Acid and 65% weight of Li-ion.
7. ElectricBike.org.uk provides not only LiFePO4 battery pack, but also total solution which includes protect circuit module with balance charging function, BMS and specific charger.

Chemistry Comparison

The charts below tell the short story.

Lifetime energy carried versus cost, bigger is better. On top of the bars it shows approximately how far the battery will carry you over its life, irrespective of cost. The bars themselves show the cost-adjusted lifetime energy capacity. The Li-Fe-PO4 is about 2X more economical than the other batteries.

Power versus Weight, bigger means lighter weight/longer range. Calculated as Watt hours per pound of weight (approximate).

 

One thing that's not emphasized in the above information is the relative safety of the various battery technologies. The Li-Fe-PO4 is a highly safe battery chemistry, which won't explode or catch on fire if it is short circuited or crushed in an accident, or overcharged. This makes it of particularly suited for electric vehicle use, since EV's are exposed to more situations than is a laptop battery.

Can the Bicycle and Tricycles Be Ridden as "Normally"?
Yes. The choice is yours - battery power and pedal power provide the best results and is they only way we recommend the use of the electric bicycle.

When Should I Recharge Batteries?
We recommend you recharge battery after each usage or at least when 'battery status indicator' shows 'half flat' or less. This ensures you get the most power. Regular charging using a high quality switch mode battery charger will prolong the life of you batteries.

How Long Does It Take to Recharge the Batteries?
Depends on state of exhaustion of battery. If battery totally flat - recharge time about 5-6 hrs. If half flat - about 2-3 hrs. Best to recharge overnight.

How Far Will the Bicycle Travel Between Recharges?
There are many variables that affect distance covered between recharges such as weight of rider, type of terrain, number of stop / starts, riding speed, amount of pedal assistance etc. Laboratory tests have indicated a maximum range of 65 km at 250 watt 36 volt 9 AH. Our experience shows that most riders get an average of 20 – 50 km's. Correct tire inflation and pedal assistance will increase the distance you get from each charge. Electric Bicycles are required to be pedal assisted to ensure they achieve their specified ratings including rated power outputs. Remember cheap high power output motors often sold over the web are not only heavy and inefficient but use so much power they are not useful for commuting applications.

What Maintenance Is Involved?
Basically there is no ongoing maintenance of electrical components other than recharging batteries. Many of our bicycles use the latest generation Brushless Hub Drive motors where there are no contact point inside the motor that can cause wear and tare. It is advised to keep bicycle clean at all times. Under normal use, motor doesn't need readjustment and maintenance except that its outer surface needs cleaning at regular intervals.

How e-Bikes Work is by assisting your pedaling. Electric bikes are everyday bicycles with an added battery-powered electric motor. Although capable of pushing you along without your help, electric bikes perform noticeably better when you pedal. The average "couch potato" who normally rides at 10 mph can ride at 15-20 mph using the same effort. He can also expect a range of 10 miles, with a recharge time of several hours. Do you remember that easy pedaling after you get your bike up to speed? That's the cruising feeling you get all the time with an electric bike.

Power, when activated by a switch on the handlebar (power-on-demand) or in response to your pedaling, gives you an immediate, nearly silent push. When you release the switch (or stop pedaling), the motor coasts or "freewheels" - like when you stop pedaling a regular bike. Standard bicycle hand brakes and gearing round out the controls.

"Power-on-demand" means just that - no pedaling required! Although all electric (or "electric-assist") bikes are designed to work with your pedaling, power-on-demand allows you to break the rule. Most systems offer a variable speed control, although some are simply on/off (like the yellow switch pictured). It senses you are pedaling. And it's "power output to pedal pressure" ratio is often adjustable. Most people find 250-watt motors adequate for their needs, although folks with steep hills may want more power. Some bikes offer through-the-gearing power assist - i.e. the force of the motor goes through the bike's gearing system - which provides better hill-climbing and top-end speed than direct drive systems with the same size motor.

How e-Bikes Perform depends on many factors. The most important factors are listed here with the (generally speaking) most important at the top:

1. terrain (number and incline of hills)
2. e-bike speed (range at 10 mph is 8 times as far as at 20 mph)
3. wind conditions (going 10 mph against a 10 mph headwind feels like 20 to the bike)
4. pulling a trailer (which is like pulling another bicycle)
5. correct tire inflation (under-inflated tires slow you down)
6. battery size (measured in volt-amp-hours)
7. weight of rider and baggage
8. motor/controller/drive system efficiency

As you can see, battery size and system efficiency rank near the bottom. The speed you go makes a big difference in how far you go.

All else being equal, range is a function of either 1) battery capacity (amp-hours X volts) or 2) speed and ease of recharging (high-power chargers provide lots of miles in less than one hour). There is a close relationship between battery capacity (A/hrs) and both weight and physical size (total volume). Generally speaking, the bigger the battery, the greater its capacity. For hill-climbing, expect about 3 feet of elevation gain for every volt-amp-hour.

All else being equal, speed is a function of motor (watt rating) and controller. Most scooter motors are capable of higher performance characteristics than the controller allows.