Bosch has long been a leader in the premium electric bicycle drivetrain market and now looks to further build on its strong foundation with the launch of several new products. Electric mountain bikes (eMTBs), which are a staple of Bosch’s e-bike prowess, are likely to benefit most from the new motor and larger battery options.
Chief among the unveilings is what Bosch is calling “the next evolutionary step of the Performance Line CX”, which is one of the brand’s flagship motor systems for electric bikes. The drive unit line has been on the market for nearly a decade, undergoing several updates and upgrades over that time period.
The newest version of the motor system is said to use “sensitive sensor technology” to offer “dynamics on a whole new level.”
The company claims that the drive system’s re-engineered sensor technology precisely measures pedal input more than 1,000 times per second using a suite of cadence, torque, and intertial sensors. The drive unit can also sense incline angles as well as vibrations, which it uses to more precisely deliver power when needed – a feature likely to be helpful on mountain bike trails.
“With 85 Newton meters of torque, a maximum power of 600 watts, and up to 340 percent support, the new Performance Line CX (BDU384Y) delivers the ideal balance of power, dynamics, efficiency, and range,” says Claus Fleischer, CEO of Bosch eBike Systems. “Whether for sensitive starts on steep trails or powerful, perfectly controlled exits from curves: With its precise, sensitive response behavior, our new drive unit allows athletic eBike riders to experience unique riding dynamics for the perfect eMTB experience.”
Bosch is also touting a new quieter gearbox in the drive system, which the company says has been optimized to achieve a good balance between power delivery, efficiency, and noise levels.
The external drivetrain, consisting of the chainring, chain, and cassette, can decouple when riding downhill, which helps to reduce noise further.
Helping keep track of just how fast those rides are going, along with a whole host of other data, is Bosch’s new Purion 400 display.
The display uses a 1.6″ screen that is specifically adapted for electric mountain bikes. It is designed to be tucked in behind the handlebars of electric mountain bikes where it can be better protected from damage during crashes.
Also ideal for mountain biking is Bosch’s new PowerTube 800, which is the company’s largest electric bicycle battery produced to date. With the ability to run two batteries at once, dual-battery e-bikes with a pair of PowerTube 800s will be able to offer 1,600 Wh of capacity.
While such capacities are starting to become more common in lower-end e-bikes that tend to throw more motor and battery at the problem, premium e-bikes like those wearing Bosch motors have long taken a ‘less is more’ approach when it comes to battery capacity. The lack of a hand throttle on Bosch e-bikes also means that they generally run longer on the same size battery, allowing the use of smaller packs than throttle-enabled electric bikes. But now with 800Wh of capacity, Bosch’s biggest battery pack is on par with many of the other largest packs on the market.
The company also announced a new PowerTube 600, for those who don’t need quite the massive battery capacity found in the PowerTube 800. And for those who only occasionally need the extra range, the PowerMore 250 water bottle-sized battery can be added to e-bikes as an auxiliary pack.
