- Intended Use
- Recharging batteries
I had a quick chat with dr Vikram Godbole about "charge2bike", a new standard for charging ebikes. See the interview in the video and keep reading for more details.
The CHAdeMO consortium was formed to create a standard for charging e-bikes. In addition to Bosch, it consists of several e-bike companies such as Shimano, Yamaha, Panasonic and Brose.
Bosch showed us the result at the launch of the new Bosch Performance CX (BDU38/gen5) motor. It was a short cable with the regular Bosch charge plug in one end and the new standard plug in the other end. The cable will of course allow communication between charger and bike, so it’s not just a dumb cable with two different connectors.
The idea is you can use any standardized charger and connect your brand specific adapter cable to charge your bike. These chargers could be installed in a variety of places, like public bike parking and hotels, or even cafés and shops.
But couldn’t they just agree on a different design that would work with detachable batteries? I didn’t ask, but to my understanding, the various brands were already too committed to their current designs. And in some ways, that’s okay. Even though standards seem like a good thing, they can hinder development and innovation to some degree.
The CHAdeMO consortium was formed to create a standard for charging e-bikes. In addition to Bosch, it consists of several e-bike companies such as Shimano, Yamaha, Panasonic and Brose.
Bosch showed us the result at the launch of the new Bosch Performance CX (BDU38/gen5) motor. It was a short cable with the regular Bosch charge plug in one end and the new standard plug in the other end. The cable will of course allow communication between charger and bike, so it’s not just a dumb cable with two different connectors.
The idea is you can use any standardized charger and connect your brand specific adapter cable to charge your bike. These chargers could be installed in a variety of places, like public bike parking and hotels, or even cafés and shops.
Charger details
The chargers are rated for 800 W continuous power and up to 2.000 W for shorter durations. Most e-bike systems out there run on 36 and 48 V batteries, but some have gone 24, 43 or 52 V. It seems the charge2bike system can work with all of them as it supports 24-60 V.Why do we need the adapter cable?
Couldn’t the e-bike manufacturers just agree upon a standard plug? Dr Godbole, senior Product Manager for batteries and chargers at Bosch eBike Systems says the plug can’t be used with detachable batteries, the plug can’t be tilted out of the battery.But couldn’t they just agree on a different design that would work with detachable batteries? I didn’t ask, but to my understanding, the various brands were already too committed to their current designs. And in some ways, that’s okay. Even though standards seem like a good thing, they can hinder development and innovation to some degree.
