We have a huge problem with ebikes

[Stihldog]

One place where standardization on bikes does make sense would be the charging port. Im all for that.

I suppose there is already an attempt to standardize the bike, ebike or eMTB. I agree that changing ports could be standardized. Imagine if fuelling or charging a vehicle wasn’t standardized.

Most bikes use metric tools for service and repair. There may be a few unique tools required …but not many. Other than the motor bolts or battery …our bikes are mostly standardized. I imagine that manufacturers will adopt components that will fit or work with their design. They don’t want to become a dinosaur either.

 

[Scuirus]

It's not sufficient to standardize the charging port. Intelligent chargers and a standard for communication between the charger and battery would also be required to make sure the battery get the correct charging voltage.

 

[timo2824]

I'd like to see parts availability and breakdowns to rebuild motors out of warranty. It would also be nice if each brand would at least make a standard bolt pattern and have a motor, battery, and wire harness kit to make upgrading possible and easy. I believe Shimano ep8000, ep8, and ep801 are compatible mounting wise, but you gotta change the harness and battery too. It should be offered as a kit! Make it easy and people will migrate to that brand. Chevy did this 50 years ago with the small block and it basically owns the hobby racing world.

This isn't just on the motor manufacturers either, with bikes not advancing like they were 10 years ago people will hold on to them longer. The bike oems should be getting the info, parts, and making the kits to sell. You may only sell a customer a new bike every 3-5 years now, but you can cash in on parts sales.

 

[timo2824]

It's not sufficient to standardize the charging port. Intelligent chargers and a standard for communication between the charger and battery would also be required to make sure the battery get the correct charging voltage.

My computer charger will charge my phone or PC with no issues, I think it'll put out 5, 9, 15, or 20vdc so it's been done before. Imagine if bike chargers were just as simple as a large HD USBC, reversible and easy to use!

 

[Mikerb]

I think part of the problem here is that we are working with a nascent technology as far as the battery is concerned. Lithium battery technology is fine for small devices but too heavy and expensive for bikes....and potentially dangerous. For cars etc it is a complete joke!
The principles and design of electric motors are on the other hand well proven and time served as are the design of CAN networks and software.......all of which derive from the automotive industry.

The next developments for emtb will be MGUs and that will probably be led by greater influence from the big motorcycle brands that existing mtb brands. Solid state batteries will be an intermediary step as a power source but all forms of transport are waiting for an industry rather than politically led power source technology.

 

[steve_sordy]

we should start by standardizing the side of the car you put the steering wheel, and then go on with temperature measuring, length and weight...
The ebike side of standardizing would be much easier, its such a small market... what about we agree not to buy any bikes for more than $5.000,00? this would force the industry to reduce their costs, by... standardizing!

Refusing to have sex with my wife until I get a better service/product won't work. I doubt that if every man in the UK joined me in this act of self-denial (cutting my nose off to spite my face) would work either. Men would give in before the women did.

Joking apart, I suspect that as noble as your cause may be, that refusing to buy bikes above a specific price point wouldn't work either. The manufacturers wouldn't start selling $15,000 bikes for $5000, they would just stop producing them and sell more $4500 bikes for $5000 instead. I suspect that both sides would lose.

 

[B1rdie]

Refusing to have sex with my wife until I get a better service/product won't work. I doubt that if every man in the UK joined me in this act of self-denial (cutting my nose off to spite my face) would work either. Men would give in before the women did.

Joking apart, I suspect that as noble as your cause may be, that refusing to buy bikes above a specific price point wouldn't work either. The manufacturers wouldn't start selling $15,000 bikes for $5000, they would just stop producing them and sell more $4500 bikes for $5000 instead. I suspect that both sides would lose.

Well… standardisation unfortunately happens on a relation after a few decades. On the good side, the less you spend on bikes, more chances you have to get better sex.

 

[pagheca]

I would start adding a common open-source communication protocol among the sensors and the controller, so that apps could florish and provide the possibility to forecast exactly the range and control the status of your bike.

 

[Kiwimike]

No Standards
Too Many batteries,
No Upgrade Path
No backwards compatibility
etc...

A few thoughts from an ebike mechanic (Bosch, Shimano, Fazua) and journalist (Off-Road.cc/Cycling electric)

1. Ebikes are vehicles

Ebikes are designed as vehicle systems and then tested/approved for sale. The motor and battery are coded to the bike, and if swapped without approval, effectively void the CE etc approval and therefore your warranty/insurance.

When you buy a car, if you swap the motor or make other serious mods you need to get it re-certified as safe/compliant by an automotive engineer. This costs lots of money and is for your safety and that of other road users, and subsequent owners too.

The idea you could bang any motor or battery into an ebike and sell it on as safe is bloody scary.

And there’s simply no way every mfr is going to the extreme cost of testing every possible aftermarket combination

2. Stick to reputable brands

Bosch guarantee parts availability for at least a decade after a product goes out of sale. So that CX motor will be replaceable as a dealer-supplied part for a long, long time. Other brands cannot match this (or choose not to)

3. Good enough is good enough

The idea that your 85Nm / 250W 1yo bike *needs* replacing just because a slightly lighter/longer travel one came out is a societal one, not the mfrs fault. Get over the incessant need to upgrade already folks.

4. Quantum leaps

Occasionally engineering needs to take a large step, that means backwards compatibility is compromised. Hence Bosch decided the Smart System wouldn’t work with Gen2. The one area I’m annoyed by this is the charging socket, but again there’s a reason they needed to differentiate the Smart System charging from Gen2 (I think it was to support 2-bty bikes, but I may be misremembering from my last tech course)

I do hope the EU mandates a charging socket standard soon. Meanwhile you will pry my 6A Bosch chargers from my cold, dead hands.

5. Bike context

While yes, you can swap forks/shocks, you are still hugely constrained by shock mounts, length, headset types, head tube angles, etc. even for tyres, you’re restricted by clearance. There’s hubs, chainrings/spiders, mech hangers, stem sizes - the best goes on. Cycling has always been a hot mess of compatibility, adding in ebike systems just continues the trend.

The secret to ebike happiness? Buy the best bike you can afford, take care of it, and ride it a long time.

Good stuff folks, keep it up.