Understanding How an Electric Bike Works

An electric bike may seem to be very different when compared to a regular bike. However, that is not entirely true. To see that an electric bike is like a normal bike, you would need a good understanding of how an electric bike works. There are mainly only 3 different parts to an electric bike, and we will cover them here.

The Motor

The motor of an electric bike is the main powerhouse of the bike. Often located near the front or the back wheel of a bike, the motor is the device that makes the wheels turn. The motor produces a spinning forced called torque by attracting itself to the chain of the bike and spinning the chain. This torque helps to propel the wheels of the bike and is what assists you as you ride the bike. One thing to remember is that although the motor will provide you with additional support to move, you pedaling the bike will give you more speed and will use less energy from the battery than if you do not pedal at all. There are other kinds of motors that integrate with the gears of the bike themselves. These can provide better torque than the normal motors, but they do come with their own host of problems. On most electric assist bicycles, the motor links to a sensor system that tell the motor when to activate. Instead of always providing torque, the motor will only start to activate when the pedals are moving and trigger the sensors. This saves energy and means that the motor acts more as a support tool than an actual engine for the bike.

The Battery

The battery is the part of the bike that charges the entire machine. It can be located in several places on an electric bike depending on the model. The battery’s main job is to provide energy to the motor so it can function. It is usually built in a removable container attached to the main bike frame to allow you to take it with you. This is very important, as the battery a delicate part of the bike that cannot withstand large temperature changes. This means that you should be bringing in your battery quite frequently when your bike is not in use. Most modern electric bikes are made using lithium batteries. This is because they offer a greater lifetime and a lower overall weight than the previous type of battery. The battery can also come in different watt amounts. This difference in wattage affects how much speed and effective horsepower a motor can produce. However, the more wattage a battery produces the faster it will use up its charge. Some forms of electric bikes come with self-charging batteries that charge a bit as you pedal. However, this charging process only works as the bike is going over a certain speed and only takes effect when going down hills. It is not a bad feature to have, but do not expect it to mean that you never have to charge your battery. You will actually need to charge the battery quite often, and you should never let the battery completely drain as it will lower the lifespan of your battery.

The Frame

An electric bike frame is almost the same frame as a regular bike. The handles and wheels are in the same area and the seat and pedals work exactly the same as a regular bike. However, there are some differences in the materials, and the motor and battery do add some additional weight to the bike. The main difference in the frame is the type of material the wheels are made from. A normal bike wheel cannot handle the strain that a motor places on the wheels of an electric bike. This means that most electric bikes’ wheels are made of stronger materials to handle this extra pressure. If the wheels were made of regular materials, they would run the risk of bending and possibly breaking from the extra force. The frame also has the addition of the batteries and the motor. These two additional parts should not add any difficulty to the bike’s normal operation, as they are out of the way in most electric bikes.

Handling an Electric Bike

When you add together these extra parts that make up a bike, you get the amazing benefits of a motorized vehicle that can function as you need it. A normal electric bike will function very similarly to a normal bike but also has the added function of additional forward momentum as you ride. This means that if you know how to ride a normal bike, you won’t have any issues adjusting to an electric bike. The greatest benefit of an electric bike is actually the fact that it works how you need it to work. That means that if you want to ride the electric bike without using the motor or battery, you can. It will work just like a normal bike and you can get a great workout. On the flip side, you can turn on the motor and battery to give yourself an easier time and get more speed for less effort as you utilize your electric bike. This ability to function as both a regular bike and as an electric bike means that the electric bike has almost no downsides in comparison to a regular bike, other than a bit of extra weight from the extra parts.

After understanding how an electric bike works, you can see that it is very similar to a regular bike. The electric portion of one of these bikes just augments the functions of a regular bike. The motor, battery, and frame all come together to create a faster bike that uses less effort to pedal than a regular bike. Outside of some additional care for the batteries, an electric bike is just like a regular bike in the care that it needs as well. With all its benefits, it is easy to see that an electric bike is well worth considering.