How do electric folding bike batteries and motors work?
Folding bikes are the swiss army knife of the cycling world, enabling you to zip to the train station, nip to a nearby meeting, bundle your bike into the car for a weekend away, or simply pound the pedals and commute to work. Add an electric motor and you’ve got it all in one small but perfectly formed package.
Folding electric bikes are powered by a motor, which takes its energy from a rechargeable battery that’s fitted to the frame.
At the cheaper end of the market, the motor is placed in the hub of the rear wheel. On more expensive electric folding bikes, the motor is placed inside the crank (where your feet meet the pedals).
Both types of electric motors provide powerful pedal assistance. More expensive electric bikes with motors fitted in the cranks can have additional features, such as a torque sensor that measures how much power you’re putting through the pedals. This information is used by the bike’s computer to intelligently deliver power when it’s needed. This can make riding with an electric motor feel more natural.
When riding an electric folding bike, you can choose from a selection of modes. These modes will provide varying levels of rider assistance, from a gentle push to a surge. Some even have a walk mode, which is quite helpful when you’re off the bike and wheeling the bike along.
The motor is managed through an interface fitted to the handlebars. All bikes will have the basic functions to turn the motor on and off, but more advanced models come fitted with displays that provide information, such as speed, distance covered and battery power remaining.
To help deal with varying terrain or low battery situations, electric folding bikes have a control unit that will make decisions about how power is delivered. It decides whether to increase or decrease the power that’s delivered by the motor.