Efficiency of hub and mid-drive motors

[AndersM]

Hi,

I recently swapped my rear hub motor Neo Cross for a mid-drive motor Focus Aventura Impulse 1.0, partly to get better range. The Neo Cross had a 12Ah battery and the Focus 17Ah.
I went on a trip yesterday that I also did on the Neo Cross last year and the range I got was more or less the same. Maybe a few more km more with the Focus but not nearly as much as I expected from the ~40% larger battery capacity.
I probably am in a bit worse shape and a bit heavier than last year and it was a bit colder yesterday so maybe that was the reason.
I averaged about 1.5 km/h lower on the Focus as well.

Does anyone have any experience in comparing range of hub and mid-drive motors?

Thanks!

 

[stevenast]

If you rode your Neo Cross using just pedal-assist, then efficiency could be somewhat similar, as @JayVee mentions.

It is concerning that you're not getting extra mileage from the higher capacity battery. What kind of distance are we talking about in miles?
Did you run the batteries all the way down in both cases, or are you going by the "bars" remaining?

 

[stevenast]

Also, what are the watt hour ratings of each battery? If the one with lower Ah had higher voltage that could explain a similarity between the two.

 

[flymeaway]

it was a bit colder yesterday so maybe that was the reason.

What's, "a bit"? The reason I ask. I live in New Hampshire and the difference in battery output when the temperature is above 60 versus below 45 is substantial. My wife rides the Neo Cross and I ride a converted hybrid with the bafang 500W 36V mid-drive with a 15AH rated battery. The Cross is down 2 bars at around 25 miles and the bafang set-up is down one bar. I also ride the hybrid/bafang to work and in the morning when it's cold (45 or less) the battery capacity is noticeably less.

Court J.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

The efficiency of mid-drive is overrated.
A well tuned (48V) gearless motor can be as efficient on moderate terrains. Also, not all mid-drives are dual clutch (which enables them to freewheel smoothly) .

Unless the terrain is very hilly, I don't see any substantial difference. I was inundated with work past few weeks, I will post some relevant details this weekend.

 

[stevenast]

Yes, we all agree this isn't a question of mid drive vs hub motor.

@AndersM can you please post a little bit more about the batteries of both bikes, how you measured range, and the weather that you experienced in both cases?

 

[Bike_On]

The efficiency of mid-drive is overrated.
A well tuned (48V) gearless motor can be as efficient on moderate terrains. Also, not all mid-drives are dual clutch (which enables them to freewheel smoothly) .

Unless the terrain is very hilly, I don't see any substantial difference. I was inundated with work past few weeks, I will post some relevant details this weekend.

You hit it Ravi. HAving owned a mid dive and hub, that has been my experience with road riding. Now if we are talking off road and long hills, I would expect the hub to overheat more and give less range. What %? not sure

 

[Bike_On]

Hi,

I recently swapped my rear hub motor Neo Cross for a mid-drive motor Focus Aventura Impulse 1.0, partly to get better range. The Neo Cross had a 12Ah battery and the Focus 17Ah.
I went on a trip yesterday that I also did on the Neo Cross last year and the range I got was more or less the same. Maybe a few more km more with the Focus but not nearly as much as I expected from the ~40% larger battery capacity.
I probably am in a bit worse shape and a bit heavier than last year and it was a bit colder yesterday so maybe that was the reason.
I averaged about 1.5 km/h lower on the Focus as well.

Does anyone have any experience in comparing range of hub and mid-drive motors?

Thanks!

I like your dual option of bikes!