| Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Power Assist Bike?
A power assist bike is fundamentally a conventional bike that uses an electric motor to assist the rider automatically via an electronic sensor system.
Why e-Moto?
Simply put, e-Moto Power Assist Bicycle are a combination of the best available electric bike components backed by the best support available. Brand name components, such as Panasonic Lithium-ion batteries, Zoom Suspension, and Tektro brakes make the e-Moto one of the lightest electric bikes on the market.
What are the operating costs of an e-Moto power assist bike?
The average cost of a full recharge on the e-Moto Panasonic battery pack is approximately $0.08.
What range can I expect from an e-Moto Electric Bike?
At a minimum, a VPAC torque sensor equipped, 26-volt e-Moto bike will be capable of going 25-miles on a single charge. 37-volt bikes can expect an increased range of approximately 20% over the 26-volt models.
How fast does it go?
The current version of the VPAC motor controller has 2 available assist speeds. The ‘Low’ speed setting provides electric assist up to 10-mph, while the ‘High’ assists to 15-mph.
Does the bike have regenerative braking?
No, true regenerative braking takes too much stability away for a 2-wheeled vehicle. The bike does generate a small amount of recharge current when free-wheeling or riding down hills.
What type of batteries to e-Moto bikes use?
All e-Moto power assist bicycles come standard with premium Panasonic Lithium Ion Batteries with matching chargers and battery management systems. Panasonic provides the best performing and most reliable power systems for electric bikes available.
Why are Panasonic Lithium-ion batteries important?
First, lithium battery systems require 3 separate components for operation. The charger, the battery management system, or BMS, (to regulate the charge and discharge of the cells), and the battery cells themselves. Many lithium battery systems are assembled using components from several different suppliers, then repackaged by a middleman, and ultimately sold to the manufacturer of the bikes. e-Moto’s Panasonic Battery systems are compiled of components designed by the same engineers to operate together. This radically increases the performance and reliability of the battery.
Why is a BMS so important?
All of our Panasonic batteries are protected by the incorporation of an integrated battery management system (BMS) in the battery housing. Active BMS is a critical component in the safe and reliable operation of all Lithium batteries—protecting the battery from extremes in charge and discharge, as well as providing equalization of charge and temperature monitoring. As a cost saving measure, many electric vehicle manufacturers omit the BMS from their battery packs, leading to poor reliability and unnecessary risks to the consumer. Be sure your bike is BMS equipped.
How/Where can I get my e-Moto bike repaired?
Any local bicycle repair shop is qualified to repair or adjust the e-Moto power assist bicycle. Someone can do diagnosis and repair of the drive system with basic mechanical skills aided by the e-Moto technicians reached on our toll-free number. Basic hand tools and a digital multimeter are required.
What is the best configuration for the electric motor—front or rear?
There are two main motor configurations found on the vast majority of electrically assisted bikes-- front mounted hub motor or integrated rear wheel mounted hub motor.
Front Mounted Hub Motor
The front mounted hub motor is the simplest and cheapest engineering solution and is consequently found on many lower priced, lower quality electric bicycles. The main disadvantage of the front wheel hub is the lack of traction when tackling hills or terrain (due to the bulk of the weight over the rear wheel). This can cause the front wheel to lose control and slip under power. The front wheel hub motor can also cause the front wheel to lose traction and spin in wet weather, which could be extremely dangerous.
Rear Wheel Mounted Hub Motor
The rear wheel hub motor is more of an engineering challenge and therefore not found on lesser power assist bikes. However, the main advantages of rear wheel drive are threefold:
• Better balance and traction from the rear weight distribution.
• Superior handling in wet weather.
• Superior traction up hills.
What is the warranty?
All e-Moto power assist bicycles are backed with an 1-year warranty, which includes the battery and major components. All e-Moto frames are guaranteed against defect for 10-years. Most electric bicycle warranties range from 30-days to 6-months. |
