Upgradable motors?

[p3eps]

Newbie question, and maybe impossible to answer... but are any of the main manufacturer motors upgradable?

If you had a good frame, and say a Bosch Gen4, would a Bosch Gen5 slot into place?
I know the Gen4 is smaller than the Gen3, so I assume these wouldn’t be swappable.

Also, what is the general lifespan of a motor? Not the lifespan until you break it... but it’s shelf life before they take out a newer model? A Gen4 Bosch has only been out for a couple of months. How long is this likely to be the ‘newest’ model?

Just trying to get my head straight before I purchase an emtb! I generally upgrade my bike every 3 years currently, so am scared of buying something that’s out of date already... even if it is a 2020 model.

 

[R120]

Among the current crop of motors the only ones which share a common mounting system within a manufacturers ecosystem are the Shimano e7000 and e8000 motors - i.e you can swap an e8000 motor into a bike with an e7000 motor.

There are rumours that Shmanos new motor, which is expected later next year, will also use the same mounting system, meaning in theory you could upgrade you motor into an existing frame.

Over the last 3 years the development of EMTB motors has been rapid, and us such we have seen wholesale redesigns of the motors, but I would hope as the pace of improvement slows, being able to upgrade the motor becomes an option.

 

[Zimmerframe]

I've heard rumour that brose are planning to use their windscreen washer motors with their next system as these have no problems dealing with wet conditions ..

Depending on the company, generally 2-3 years at the moment (some are a lot longer) .. but keep in mind that each time we see a new motor, the real world performance differences aren't as noticeable as you'd think. They're still limited to a theoretical 250w average. They still use batteries and not mini nukes - there's no magic going to happen.

A bit like cars with fuel economy, every year they're 10% more efficient .. if you took all the numbers from the last 30 years, cars should now get 200,000 mpg

 

[Beekeeper]

If history is anything to go by, Apple bring a new iPhone out every year. The Bosch Gen 2cx came out in 2015 and the current cx in 2019 so I suspect the next one might come out in 2023 which may well be even smaller and lighter and have blue tooth / mission control type app. I don’t think there are huge leaps in performance between each edition and whenever you buy one, a better one already on the drawing board. Life is too short! Buy one and hit those trails and have fun ?

 

[p3eps]

Thanks for the replies...

Technology moves forward every day, and I fully appreciate that tech companies are working on their new product before they even release the ‘latest’ model. I’m sure Apple are thinking about the iPhone 13 before the 12 has even been released.

Battery tech is getting better and better as we move forward, with much smaller more powerful units available.
As above - there’s not really that much you can do with the motor, other than make it lighter and more efficient.
I’ve followed ebike tech for a couple of years now, waiting for the right time to jump in.

I’ve been following the ebike tech for a couple of years now, and it definitely seems to have stabilised - with most motors / batteries being on a par.
I feel it’s now the right time for me to jump in, so I’m weighing out my options! It’d have been nice to buy something that the motor / battery were upgradable... but as long as I can get a few years out of it, then I’ll take the plunge!

 

[Mikerb]

With fast growing existing numbers of emtbs the brands face a choice of either maintaining supply of older motor designs to service that base or ensuring an upgrade path to newer designs.

 

[steve_sordy]

All the investment gurus say "time in the market is more important than timing the market".

That could translate to" just get an emtb and enjoy it", you will never find "the right time" to buy.

 

[Beekeeper]

I had spent months researching the new Gen 4 motor before it was released and was in no doubt that’s what I wanted and also the 625 battery to go with it.
However, the huge 30% price cuts of the 2019 gen 2 motor was just too tempting.
We also thought that the gen 2 had been out for a long time so any teething trouble would have been ironed out long ago. The gen 4 would be a new and relatively untested model that might have some unknown issues.
Also by buying the 2019 bikes we could basically enjoy the countryside now and not wait another 6 months.