So putting Bafangs #2 motor against Bosch's best is some kind of victory?
Then add that the Bafang motor cost is what? 50% - 75% less?
We know for sure who his sponsor is... Great Test!
I guess the Bosch crowd sees what they want to see.
Not really. I thought the guy was fairly reasonable.
He documented his entire build process without masking any information and even showed the PayPal process with the Dengfu to get the frame and the cost of 840Whr at $340 USD etc.
So, I give him credit for that.
The warranty and support process between Bosch E-bike Systems and Bafang Corporation are worlds apart.
People with lots of time on their hands (Retirees), folks who like DIY, tinker with mechanical stuff enjoy working on/upgrading/ their motor parameters but most other E-bike commuters don't have time for that.
Bosch is catering to that market that wants a decent powered E-bike that works and backs that up with excellent warranty support.
We have not even considered the engineering details. The UL certification alone costs upwards of $100,000 USD and Bafang has not ponied up to do it.
The pedal-assist/torque sensor system is far superior on the Bosch drive systems. No question about that.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Finally,
saying, "oh they should compare the ultra motor/ M620 to Bosch Gen 4" is a moot point.
The Ultra motor weighs 3x more, occupies 2x more space, has 1000W of power of nominal power.
Bosch Gen 4 was designed to be light, compact, reliable, and produce 350W of nominal power with occasional bursts up to ~750W
If Bosch were to design a 1000W motor, it would probably blow everything out of the competition.
It is not a US vs. EU debate. I don't think N.Americans need more power. They need more exercise and many people need to lose some weight.
This is a large misconception that you need 1000W of power. The number of people with knee replacements and hip replacements in the U.S alone is staggering.
Almost 4.5 million people underwent knee replacement in 2010. If they did a mild cardio E-bike activity on a decent E-bike, they would lessen the burden on hospitals and enjoy a great quality of life without all that suffering.
350W to 500W is plenty of power. The market needs an E-bike that handles like a bike, can be ridden on bike trails until the biking infrastructure is developed.
In many states, riding an E-bike is almost suicidal and until the infrastructure picks up, we need a responsible approach to E-bikes.
www.mayoclinic.org