Bosch e-bike batteries
Bosch is known as one of the world’s biggest engineering brands, but did you know they made electric motors for bikes?
In fact, Bosch has been building electric bike motors for over 10 years. Alongside Shimano and SunTour, it has been leading the development of the technology.
If you’re interested in buying an electric bike, it’s likely to be powered by a power unit from one of the big three. Together, they cater to all price points and all types of electric bikes.
Back to Bosch. The German powerhouse has gained a reputation for creating motors that are powerful and efficient. In this guide, we introduce you to the Bosch range of electric bike motors, batteries and displays.
Inside Bosch electric bike motors
At the heart of every e-bike system is a motor. All Bosch motors are located in the crank, where your feet meet the pedals. In the trade, this is called a mid-drive motor.
Locating the motor at the bottom of the frame means its weight sits at the lowest point of the bike, which makes the bike feel stable both on the road and on off road tracks.
Bosch motors are powerful, and when switched on will provide a welcome assist to the pedal stroke. Riders find the power assistance provided by Bosch motors to feel natural – like a welcome push of power, not a surge of speed.
Bosch motors can provide assistance up to a top speed of 15.5mph, the legal limit here in the UK. You can choose from four different modes of power (turbo, sport, tour and eco) depending on whether you want to conserve energy and extend battery range, or need extra support to tackle a hill or get you home.
While you’re riding, the computer inside a Bosch electric bike motor measures power (torque), speed and acceleration more than 1000 times a second. It uses this information to help manage the power delivery, making the power provided by the motor feel as natural as possible.
Bosch electric bike batteries
Integrated battery
Slim and compact, built-in batteries can be incorporated inside the frame – which means no bulky battery packs on display!
Sometimes called PowerTubes, Bosch offers 400w, 500w and 625w versions. Integrated batteries aren’t cheap and are usually found on high-end mountain bikes.
Frame battery
Bulkier than an integrated battery, frame batteries sit on, or in, a bike’s downtube (the tube below the saddle that leads to the pedals).
Bosch calls these PowerPacks and sells them in 300w, 400w and 500w sizes. You’ll find Bosch frame batteries on electric hybrid bikes, electric mountain bikes and even electric folding bikes.
Rack battery
It’s impossible to use frame batteries on a step-through bike, so Bosch designed the rack battery. It’s located on the rear rack and comes in 300w, 400w, and 500w versions.
What distance can I travel on my battery?
So how far can I ride with a Bosch e-bike? That’s a question we get asked all the time, and it’s difficult to answer accurately.
For each electric bike, you will find an estimated maximum range, but this is a calculation based on some assumptions.
Thankfully, Bosch has done the hard work for us and you, with its e-bike range assistant you can calculate your range based on your weight, effort and the speed you want to achieve.