• Home
  • EV News
  • EV Blogs
  • Podcast
  • Videos
  • Vehicles
    • Sales
    • Electric Cars
    • Tata Electric Cars
    • Electric Scooters
    • OLA Electric
    • Electric Cycles
    • Electric MotorCycles
    • Electric Cargo Vehicles
    • Campus Vehicles
  • Categories
    • Community Charging
    • Buyer's Guides
    • Real Life EV Stories
    • How To Guides
    • EV Test Reports
    • EV Travelogues
    • EV Conversions
    • Events
    • Educate
  • About Us
  • Community
    • Discord
PluginIndia Electric Vehicles

Electric Cycles - The new kid on the block

3/7/2016

21 Comments

 
By Kamlesh Mallick
Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!  That is how you feel when you first ride an electric cycle! Hang on! Did u say electric cycle?  Yes indeed a cycle with a motor, controller and a battery that does some pretty neat magic! Everyone who rides one, has a BIG smile on their faces!  I myself am a big fan of these! 
​I have a theory on why everyone smiles when they ride one - Its the instant torque of the electric motor that give gives an instant pickup, which in turn gives you a instant high that makes your brain feel elevated for few seconds! :) 
Anyway this is a blog on electric cycles, which have started to hit the Indian market. ​Read on to know more!

Picture
WHAT IS AN ELECTRIC CYCLE?
An electric cycle is a normal bicycle that has been adapted or manufactured to incorporate the assistance of an electric motor, while keeping the usual pedals and bicycle transmission. The motor assistance can help the rider go further than they would under their own power. With an electric bike you can tackle bigger hills, or simply ride with less effort.
Assuming they comply with the regulations, they do not require RTO registration, insurance or a license to use, and can be used wherever a standard bicycle can go.

So basically you can ride an e-cycle with the following 3 modes (depends on the brand)
  • 'Twist & Go' - Turn on the throttle and accelerate without the need to pedal. Most Indian e-bikes offer these throttles. Countries like UK ban throttle based e-bikes! 
  • 'Pedal Assist' - Here the motor provides assistance for the cycle to propel forward while pedaling.  If you are used to riding a traditional cycle, the pedal assist mode has a more intuitive feel compared to the throttle mode. The pedal assist mode is also nice because you can focus purely on your pedaling and you don’t have to hold the throttle in a certain position. Since you have to pedal, the pedal assist mode will generally give you more range when compared to the throttle mode. 
  • Good old human powered cycling with no assist.

I believe that e-cycles are a fantastic innovation that can  
  • Help people who do have some knee pain but they enjoy cycling.
  • Help old people who love cycling but need some assist.
  • Help office goers who want to cycle but don't want to get into work all sweaty.
  • Weekend warriors - who want to get out there in nature in the mountains, but don't have the athleticism that they used to have. This is the way to do it.  People can connect with your community with nature and do it in an efficient, green and relatively quiet manner.


Picture
My first experience of an e-cycle was at Nice, France back in 2014
Picture
Climbing the hills of Nice was effortless and fun!

e-Cycle Technology 101
​​
Motors

Generally motors are rated at Watts. A 350 watt motor will go faster than a 250 Watt motor. Do note that only 250 Watt motors are approved by agencies like ARAI in India. 
e-cycles can have motors that can be placed in the rear or front wheel (hub motor system) or in the middle (mid drive system)
  • Hub Motor system - A Motor is placed in the rear wheel or in front wheel. Mostly they are in the rear wheel.
    The magnets of the motor directly drive the hub and the wheel and they tend to be heavier. The magnets generate torque to drive the motor. A direct drive in-hub motor does not have gears, there is no wear and tear and in theory these in-hub motors can last forever and are extremely reliable. The in-hub motor does not leverage the cycle gears and are great for flat terrains. Hub motors operate best at medium and high speeds. This makes them zippy and satisfying no matter which gear you’re pedaling in but less efficient over slower speeds while climbing a hill.
  • Mid Drive system - In the mid-drive system, the motor is placed in the middle of the bike near the crank, which leverages the standard cycle chain and gears. Cycles have gears, where the user selects a right gear to help the cyclist climb a hill. The mid drive system uses these gears , so it has a wide range of ability to climb hills. As compared to the hub motor, which has a fixed gear, so when you are going up the hill on an e-bike with a hub motor, the system will draw more current into the motor to sustain the torque to climb the hill.  With the mid drive, you just downshift the gears to go up the hill. Thus mid drive system are more efficient in terms of using energy from the battery and can enable users to go further especially in hilly areas.
Picture
Hub Motor based e-bike
Picture
Bosch Gen 1 - mid drive system
Advantages of Mid drive motor system over Hub motor system
Mid drive motors are becoming more popular on electric bicycles because they offer certain strengths over traditional in-wheel hub motors.
These include:
  • Improved frame balance front to rear.
  • The ability to leverage a the cycle gears for better efficiency, while climbing hills.
  • Easier maintenance for the drivetrain and wheels (as well as less wiring across the frame)

Disadvantages of the Mid drive motor system
Mid drive systems do have some limitations and drawbacks worth considering :
  • Louder operation because they tend to be geared, they tend to produce the most noise in lower gears when the drive unit is spinning at higher RPM
  • Increased wear on the chain or belt, sprocket teeth and derailleur because the motor is adding force to the drive-train. 
  • More active shifting and gear changing is required by the rider in order to start the bike, climb efficiently and reach maximum speeds as compared to hub motors which connect directly to the wheel and don’t interface with gears.
Picture
Batteries
Most modern e-bikes use Lithium-Ion batteries.  The older e-bikes used Lead Acid batteries, which are heavier and take a long time to charge. Its always recommended to go for Lithium-Ion batteries for e-bikes.
Most e-bike batteries range from 36 to 48 Volts (V).  This indicates how far the battery can push the power. 
The amount of current that is flowing out is generally represented in Amperes (A).
Generally batteries are indicated in Ampere Hour (AH). So a 12 Amp-Hour battery tells us that 12 amps current can flow in 1 hour. A 48 volt battery can give you more torque as compared to a 36 V battery.

The capacity of the battery is represented in Watt hours (Wh), which is calculated as follows
Wh = V * Ah

So when you are shopping for an electric bike, you will have to look at the Watt-Hour (Wh) rating of the battery.
If there are 2 e-bikes but both have batteries rated at 10 AH.  But the key thing is to look at the voltage and find out the Wh rating , which can be calculated as shown.
ebike 1 - 36 V * 10 Amp hour = 360 Watt hours
ebike 2 - 48 V * 10 Amp hour = 480 Watt hour

So ebike2 will take your further than ebike1 as the battery has more energy.

PictureCharging an e-bike battery
Regenerative braking
This is the magic feature that is loved by all electric car owners. Regenerative braking (also called regen) is the conversion of the vehicle’s kinetic energy into chemical energy stored in the battery, where it can be used later to drive the vehicle. It is braking because it also serves to slow the vehicle. It is regenerative because the energy is recaptured in the battery where it can be used again.
An electric car weighs a lot, lets say around 1000 kg. When you slow down, there is a lot of kinetic energy that can be transferred back to the battery due to the weight. 
In a cycle, you only have lesser kinetic energy to recover as compared to a car. Also if regenerative braking is enabled, the motor also has a little bit of resistance while pedaling as the motor turns into a generator. Thus you will not find it easy to just pedal like a normal cycle.
While Regenerative braking is cool, there are takeoff's regarding regenerative braking w.r.t cycles.
Thus many e-bike makers opt out of including regen.


Electric cycles in India
There have been past efforts by the likes of BSA, Hero launching Lead Acid based e-cycles.​ We know the issues with lead acid. Very heavy, terrible charging times, bad energy density to weight ratio.  Obviously they did not do well.  Then there have been Chinese imports, which again did not do well.
This also gave e-cycles a bad reputation.  Its the same with the e-scooter industry. As the companies that launched these products wanted to make a quick buck without actually investing in R&D or caring about service and support.
But there are couple of companies that are bringing 'Made in India' e-cycles by doing the right thing - Investing in RnD.

Hulikkal electric cycles
Then we found out about this innovative little company called Hulikkal based out of Coimbatore. They have invested many years of RnD in making a suitable drive-train for Indian cycles and road conditions. And they are purely using Lithium-Ion based batteries. They offer Hub motor based e-cycles and are not launching mid drive based drive-trains as of now.
The Hulikkal e-bikes offer throttle mode only. There is no pedal assist mode as such. As mentioned earlier, the throttle mode is similar to how a motorcycle or scooter operates. When the throttle is engaged the motor provides power and propels you and the bike forward. A throttle allows you to pedal or just kick back and enjoy a ride without pedaling! The Hulikkal throttle riding capability is really fun but i hope they offer e-cycles with pedal assist in the near future.

We @ PluginIndia did a review of the Hulikkal Medley electric cycle and did meet the CEO Mr Prashant Goel who says the company has started selling e-cycles now but will launch many innovative and disruptive products with the electric drive train.

What i like about Hulikkal is the RnD that is being done on the drive-train and kits. Their cycles might look basic with no great design, but the drive-train and features are being improved every year. The latest type 3 drive-train is very well optimized compared to the type 1 kit they launched 2 years back. This investment in RnD on the drivetrain and the kit is more important than creating fancy designs. Once they iterate multiple versions and bring upon improvements on the drivetrain, they can focus on designs and creating other products.

Having appreciated the company's efforts in RnD regarding the drive train, the community can offer following feedback to Hulikkal 
  • Provide "Pedal Assist" feature in all their e-cycles
  • Improve designs of their cycles. Offer models without carriers, mudguards and keep it simple and elegant. There is a market out there who want e-cycles to look cool.
  • Offer models with Alloy frames. This will dramatically reduce the weight of the cycles. Atleast have an option for users. People who can pay more will opt for Allow frames. The steel frames really does make your cycle weigh more.
  • Offer more 'tech' accessories like LED display with stats etc.
  • Offer kits and e-cycles with less range say 15-20 kms. This will enable more people who want cheaper e-cycles to go for these. Currently the Rs 30000 price tag is a big problem for many people who would to have an e-cycle but find it expensive.
Picture
Me navigating Mumbai traffic on the Hulikkal Medley e-cycle
Picture
Picture
Picture
The Hulikkal e-bike was used on a Solar powered ride from Mumbai to Delhi. More details of the event can be found here.
Video review of the Hulikkal Medley electric cycle

Miltex group's Spero - The new kid on the block
Another Coimbatore based company - Miltexgroup are launching e-bikes after having invested many years performing RnD with the intention of launching an e-cycle called - Spero (Hope in Italian/Latin).
The first thing that you notice is the design. The Spero e-cycle has a very simple design where a small box in the middle hides the controller, battery negating the need for a carrier that has to be clamped behind to hold the controller and the battery pack.
This simple design has really caught the attention of many e-cycle enthusiasts and the company has received many orders from their campaign website found here.
Picture
Photo Credit - http://milltex.in/spero/
The Spero e-cycle offers some awesome features like
  • Regeneration - Charge the battery of the e-cycle with minimal pedaling.
  • Cruise mode - While travelling at a constant speed for 6 seconds, cruise mode takes over so that you can ride without pedaling and accelerating.
  • Pedal Assist mode, which tracks the pedaling pace of the rider and controls the motor correspondingly for a energy efficient and comfortable ride.
  • Digital gears - change gears with just a click of a button. Helps in providing different levels of torque to help in inclined roads.
  • Brake light - The attractive brake light helps in cautioning the riders at your back. It has an intelligent day mode and a night mode.
  • Intelligent Display - The display helps to monitor the stats of the ride on the go. It indicates charge level, current speed, distance covered and much more.
  • Multiple battery pack options for 30 km , 60 km and 100 km range.
Picture
Picture
Photo Credit - http://milltex.in/spero/
Picture
Photo Credit - http://milltex.in/spero/

The Spero looks very promising. PluginIndia will be performing a detailed review soon. Watch this space!

Where do i get one in India?
  • ​​Hulikkal e-cycles
    You can order online at hulikkal.com/shop/ and the company delivers to your home. Do check for dealers at their website.
    ​Here are some in Mumbai, Pune and Bengaluru
    • Mumbai Dealer - EVFirst, Bhandup
      +(91) 9022888800
       Gala No. 9, Gurunanak Udyog Bhavan, Behind Gopala`s Hotel, LBS Marg, Bhandup West, Mumbai - 400078
    • Bengaluru Dealer
      +(91) 8951000900
      Mr ​Vimal Kumar Patil 
    • Pune Dealer - GreenDriveIndia
      +(91) 
      9049996670
      Mrs Priyam Hegde

  • Spero e-cycles
    You can order online via their Fuel-A-Dream campaign 

Final Words
I love e-cycles. I really do. The instant acceleration is so much fun!  And climbing hills gets very comfortable, especially in hilly cities like Pune.
​I own one, and along with my electric car, they take care of my transportation needs in Pune - where i live. An e-cycle can help many more people who travel 20-30 kms everyday and can help them stay away from petrol while saving lots of money.
There is more to come in the e-bike world and PluginIndia will showcase all of these wonderful innovations! Stay tuned!
21 Comments
Raphae Halim
3/7/2016 10:20:04 pm

Wow! Love the battery pack. It's actually triangular. Not a bulky rectangle. LOL! ;-)

Reply
Sathya
11/7/2016 11:21:40 pm

Both the e cycle companies hulikkal and spero

1)have got ARAI exemption?
2)What are the motor power?

Reply
Kamlesh Mallick
12/7/2016 07:52:36 pm

Hi,

Thanks for the comment.
Yes we do know for a fact that - Hulikkal e-cycles are ARAI approved.

Spero e-cycles CEO just gave me this information
- "It is under certification and we are awaiting information on other enlistments to collect a holistic certification. Further, we have been interaction with ARAI from the moment the prototype was ready."

Reply
PlugInCaroo
15/7/2016 12:46:27 pm

Satya these cycles are slow speed 25kmph and around 250V motor so are automatically exempted from requiring ARAI approval. This is the biggest advantage of these category of bikes and they do not need any license, insurance or permits to ride. This cuts out a lot of red tape.

The disadvantage of Li-Ion has always been its price with zero range advantage. For Rs 30,000 there are Lead Acid battery scooters from Hero Motors with 2 yrs battery warranty available to be purchased by Paytm.

Another disadvantage of electric cycles are that they are theft prone.

It is always advisable to such manufacturers to go a step further into the low speed (25kmph) electric motorcycle/scooter sector where the most of the advantages and profits are. This was the sector that sold above 100,000 escooters earlier and Hero Motors have admitted that this sector have picked up sales once again when Indian battery was assured instead of Chinese battery.

If at all they are going to stay in the cycle scene they might as well start making the frames themselves to give the brand a identity and uniqueness and increase tyre "widths" for ride quality & swank-n-swagger effect. Right now all the cycles look same boring triangular frame.

Reply
Rahul
18/5/2018 09:25:57 am

Great info. Both in the article as well as this comment. Learnt a lot about ecycles. Thanks!

Reply
Shreerang Jogalekar
26/3/2017 05:09:27 pm

I wonder why there is nothing for almost 6 months on this blog. Have the models dried up? Secondly, the manufacturers are not passing on the subsidy offered by the Government to the customers. Obviously the vehicles cannot compete in the marketplace.

Reply
Termite Control link
28/4/2017 01:45:25 pm

Nice information, thank you for sharing it.

Reply
Healthy Beverages link
4/8/2017 04:55:54 pm

Thanks For Sharing Great Information. It was very helpful.

Reply
Kyle
23/12/2017 06:49:54 am

Spherical sends to have faded away. Bike iiisssss not seen, not can one buy it.

Reply
Kodam
12/5/2019 01:19:27 pm

I am looking for Bosch Centre drive and Yamaha Centre drive e-bikes with good suspension system, when can they are expected in India

Reply
Kamlesh Mallick
14/5/2019 11:12:44 am

Unfortunately mid drive kits will be expensive and for a price sensitive market like India, many companies are hesitant to launch them.

Reply
Letsplayy link
1/6/2019 06:10:03 pm

Let the adventure kick in. Ride through the majestic hills and explore the enchanting Manali on an electric cycle. Experience the lush green beauty, the magnificent waterfalls, and chilly winds on our handpicked cycling tours from Manali packed with thrill and adventure.
Stride across the hills in the Solang Valley, walk in the snowfields at the Rohtang Pass, watch the spectacular waterfalls on the ride to Naggar, be at an unimaginable ease while at Kanyal and experience the serenity of Sethan.
Rent an electric cycle in Manali and gather memories for a lifetime.

Reply
Yogita
10/7/2020 04:35:20 pm

Thanks For Sharing Great Information. It was very helpful.
<a href="https://palmindore.in/blog/banquets-in-indore/">Banquets in Indore</a>

Reply
Purna Jain link
27/7/2020 11:43:34 am

Thanks for sharing amazing content and articlem

Reply
Mom blog names link
27/7/2020 03:53:36 pm

Great website and amazing content thanks for sharing

Reply
Shruti link
30/9/2020 01:06:35 pm

Hi! I'm shruti. This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and say I genuinely enjoy reading your blog posts. Can you recommend any other <a href='http://microniche.world/best-niches-for-affiliate-marketing/>Niches for Affiliate Marketing</a> blogs that go over the same topics? Thanks a ton!

Reply
StartupsHive link
1/10/2020 03:27:38 pm

Nice Post. Thanks for Sharing, Very helpful. You must visit us too and learn How spend judiciously after <a href="https://startupshive.net/how-spend-judiciously-after-seed-funding/">Seed Funding</a>. We give complete support to all new startups from Execution to Investment. Register for free with us.

Reply
StartupsHive link
3/10/2020 06:07:05 pm

Nice Post. You can also visit us and know more about <a href="https://startupshive.net/how-to-make-your-pitch-interesting-to-an-investor/">Pitching Investors</a>. Here at startupshive you will get complete support to all new startups from Execution to Investment.

Reply
dishan somni link
21/7/2022 01:54:36 pm

i have read your blog nice information share you electric cycle
helpful tips tricks and more info visit website
https://svitch.bike/

Reply
amish gupta link
8/9/2022 05:45:17 pm

thanx so much sharing with us

Reply
online casino link
13/9/2022 12:01:40 pm

This is a great post. I like this topic. This site has lots of advantage. I found many interesting things from this site. It helps me in many ways. Thanks for posting this again.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    Ask Your EV Guru
    Blogs From Heart & Soul
    Buyers Guides
    Charging Stations
    Clean Energy
    Commercial Vehicles
    Community Initiatives
    Conversion Kits
    Electric Bikes
    Electric Bus
    Electric Cars
    Electric MotorCycles
    Electric Scooters
    Events
    EV Expos & Exhibitions
    EV Industry News
    EV Sales
    EV Technology
    EV Travelogues
    How To Guides
    Interviews
    Podcasts
    RE:LIVE Events
    Student Projects
    Surveys

    Picture
    Picture

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013

    Picture

    RSS Feed

Plug in india

About us
Advertise with us
Contact us

Privacy Policy
Terms of Service

Support US

Get access to exclusive perks
  • Become a YouTube member
  • Become a Patreon

Subscribe to our newsletter

© COPYRIGHT 2019. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • EV News
  • EV Blogs
  • Podcast
  • Videos
  • Vehicles
    • Sales
    • Electric Cars
    • Tata Electric Cars
    • Electric Scooters
    • OLA Electric
    • Electric Cycles
    • Electric MotorCycles
    • Electric Cargo Vehicles
    • Campus Vehicles
  • Categories
    • Community Charging
    • Buyer's Guides
    • Real Life EV Stories
    • How To Guides
    • EV Test Reports
    • EV Travelogues
    • EV Conversions
    • Events
    • Educate
  • About Us
  • Community
    • Discord