These 'digital drive' bikes replace a bicycle chain with software
These 'digital drive' bikes replace a bicycle chain with software
Ever heard of a “digital drive” bike? It might seem like a strange concept, but several companies are developing commercial...
You're viewing a single thread.
I've been saying that this is the future of e-bikes for a while now. Makes so much sense. You are essentially a generator feeding power into the battery. Why introduce mechanical bits for no reason?
I kinda like that I can still ride my EP-2 Pro if the battery dies (though going uphill really sucks with a 74 lb bike lol) and that if my chain breaks, the rear hub works independently too. I'm a fan of redundant backup systems though, probably also why I put Tannus Armor liners and Flatout in my tires.
Theoretically if your battery dies, you'd just need to peddle for a certain amount of time to feed electricity back into the battery and you should be ready to ride again. T3chnically you should never run out as long as you are willing to peddle.
Like a fancy version of those hand crank flashlights.
Yeah, but it's not as efficient as a chain (at least, for now). Maybe if they can work out some sort of clever superconductor it'll be way better than anything else, either way, it's still pretty cool: I love to see innovation.
You might be surprised.
A generator can have efficiency up to the mid 90%. Of course I am sure the cheap Chinesium components that most ebikes are made of are lower, but still it shouldn't be horrible. Then yiu have to store that power, and then feed it back into the motor, so every time you convert the power you lose more efficiency, but again, it might be worth it.
A chain isn't 100% efficient either, of course. It is in the mid 90% range as well if it is a single speed, but every gear is going to lose efficiency.
I could imagine some wild ebike designs with a chainless design. You don't need any physical connection to your feet to the driven wheels (except for a pair of wires). For over 100 years that hasn't been the case. The wheels and crank have always needed to be in-line in one form or another because they mechanically needed to be linked. Removing that link really opens up a lot of things.
From what I read chains were still a bit more efficient but I would imagine as the tech improves that efficiency will go up. That said, maintenance is probably also way easier/almost non-existent for the wired setup compared to the traditional chain setup.