With UK and EU laws stipulating an upper limit of 250W for e-bike motors, manufacturers tend to put a lot of emphasis on efficiency and range. French startup WhaTT For Now have taken another route however, developing a motor that is intended to be used only in short bursts, delivering high torque and rapid acceleration.
Design Boom reports that Whatt For Now has developed a twin transmission system where the rider can trigger a ‘boost’ from the motor whenever they want it.
The firm says its system will deliver up to 160Nm of torque and propel the bike from 0-25km/h in about four seconds.
“We wanted to go back to real cycling and not an electric assistance bike,” said WhaTT For Now founder Francois Guers. “You have the regular classical bicycle mode when you don’t want to use the electricity but when you need electrical assistance, you can get big power.”
WhaTT is doing three bikes at the minute, all featuring the twin transmission system.
“The electric transmission allows the user to transmit bigger torque to the rear wheel,” said Guers. “Torque produces acceleration. Since electric bikes are limited to 25 km/hr, the objective is to reach the top speed as fast as possible. This acceleration is equivalent or sometimes bigger than a regular motorcycle.”
