New Bosch motors for 2020 - rumours?

[Max-E]

Anyone heard anything on the 'inside'? - chatting to a trade friend today he did mention he is attending the launch for the new Whyte bikes in a few weeks and they will have the new Bosch motor. Doubt anything much will leak due to super tight NDA's.

Bosch are confident:

Bosch plans to set up separate e-bike division in 2020

Lots of 'guessing' on the web but many thinking battery capacity will take a jump from 500wh.

Off Bosch-topic but it does make me suspect Specialized could well standardise the 700 wh battery or at least bring it down to a couple more models maybe?

 

[R120]

We have heard about the Whyte bikes in a couple of threads here, and my LBS which is a big Whyte dealer has told me that a whole new range is coming out, including some Fazua motored gravel bikes (which I think have already been on social media).

On the forum the general consensus is that the new Bosch system will be launched at Eurobike, but that's in September.

Bosch are still very much the market leader with E-Bikes, and even if their current motor is now getting on, their control software IMO is still the best out there, especially the emtb mode.

Their new motor should be going straight to the top if they have done their homework and research, but guess we will have to wait and see.

 

[MattyB]

Yes, my dealer has also confirmed Whyte are releasing a set of ebikes across their range soon, some on Bosch, others on Shimano and Fazua. Which bikes get what remain to be seen; I suspect the longer travel bikes will get the new Bosch, trail bikes maybe a mix of Shimano and Bosch, and the urban/road/gravel bikes Fazua.

In terms of battery I am not that bothered by a bigger one tbh - Bosch are not going to have any big leap in battery tech for this release, so if they go 700Wh that means a bigger and heavier pack. I am much keener to see if they have dropped the geared output to reduce resistance over 25kmh, reduced the weight and size to competitive levels and improved the sealing to reduce mechanical issues.

Extract from my post on the NEC show last autumn...

...

Watch out for Whyte

I couldn’t resist ribbing the guys on the Whyte stand about the absence of EMTBs this year after they had confidently talked about them last year. They confirmed things had taken longer “because some of the key components we want to use were delayed”, but that there were mules out in the wild undergoing final testing and that there would be a range released in summer 2019 (the 2020 model year).

He also confirmed they would use Bosch, Shimano and Fazua across their range of EMTBs and urban bikes, though which would get what he wasn’t prepared to divulge. I would imagine a Fazua powered version of the Roadplus Portobello and Glencoe could be stunning...

View attachment 5795

I was very surprised when he said Bosch, as the dimensions and weight of the current units wouldn’t seem to sit well with Ian Alexander’s philosophy on geometry. Does this point to a new Bosch motor in 2019? It might (I hope so as riding the Cubes on the test track convinced me they are now well behind the competition), but I guess it will be some time until we find out.

 

[steve_sordy]

It's true it's a rumour!

 

[R120]

On the Whyte front my understanding is they are bringing out an Enduro Model with 180mm, and a trail with 140/150mm. Both will run the new Bosch motor, which runs normal size chainrings, and "apparently" does not have resistance beyond the cut-off. New internal batteries.

My source says the reason that Whyte have held off on new EMTB;s is that with the new Bosch system they are able to integrate everything in a way that gets them the geometry they want, but also the frame stiffness, as they had not been happy with the current available systems solutions to integrating a battery, whilst maintaining frame rigidity without compromising handling.

Don't know much more other that sounds exciting, prototypes are currently out in the wild in Surrey Hills so keep your eyes peeled!

 

[Max-E]

Nice info - kind of confirms most of the rumours (or ‘asked for features’). Guessing though that with Bosch behind this and their commitment there could be lots more to come?

 

[R120]

Well Bosch are the most experienced player in the E-Bike game, so you would expect their new systems to be cutting edge when it comes out, and hopefully it is.

A lot people focus on the power etc of the motors, but really what you want, and what is the most critical aspect, is the best software that enables the motor to effectively not be part of the riding experience, in that it has no noticeable downsides and enables the user experience to be as much like that of riding a normal bike as possible.

 

[Seric]

Could this be a hint of what's to come? new smaler motor, bigger chainring and 600wh battery.
Nouveautés Bosch eBike 2020

 

[Max-E]

Could this be a hint of what's to come? new smaler motor, bigger chainring and 600wh battery.
Nouveautés Bosch eBike 2020

Well found. Seems to be what everyone was asking for. More than 600 wh would have been nice.

 

[Rob Rides EMTB]

See: Here is the new 2020 Bosch motor - EMTB Forums