# An interesting and welcome development



## Smokin Joe (5 Oct 2018)

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/product-news/new-e-bike-category-ups-power-1000-watts-396471


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## Pat "5mph" (5 Oct 2018)

Good for cargo bikes, not so good for Pat 5mph on the cycle path ... got enough must get in front by the roadies 
Anyway, the UK is about to take back control of their cycle paths, so not applicable


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## raleighnut (6 Oct 2018)

More power just means the battery runs down faster.


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## Milkfloat (6 Oct 2018)

I am not so sure it is good news as it has opened the door to licence, registration, insurance and therefore tax on other bicycles. I can see the next step as introducing these barriers to the lower 250 watt limit and perhaps all bicycles.


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## gbb (6 Oct 2018)

I'd like to understand the way manufacturers power outputs comply with legislation.
So my Crossfire is stated as 250w nominal output, that meets the rules, but it's maximum output is 400w....so how does that work ? It's no doubt legal, Ii suppose unless you read deep into the regulations you wouldn't understand anyway.
So will 1000w mean 1000w maximum or will we see maximum watts achieved go far beyond 1000.
The only benefit I can see is effectively you'd get twist and go...and tbh, with the current 400w max, I neither need 1000w or twist and go. At current maximum assist it couldn't be easier, not that I use it anyway. 
I'm not sure it's necessary although perhaps in some countries the max speed limit may be higher so it'd be more useful in those markets.
Also, battery life may be very limited currently but as always, technology moves on so perhaps there's more capacity being developed that would cope with the higher demand of bigger motors.


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## Oldfentiger (6 Oct 2018)

All electric motors have the capacity to produce more torque for short periods than their rated value.
I can’t remember the figure for DC but AC motors can produce 2.5 x rated value at start-up, provided the electrical supply is capable.


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## numbnuts (6 Oct 2018)

1000 watts  what's this for the “growing” population


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## snorri (6 Oct 2018)

OK if e bikes are to be restricted to road use only, not ok if they are permitted on cycling infrastructure.


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## Pale Rider (6 Oct 2018)

Oldfentiger said:


> All electric motors have the capacity to produce more torque for short periods than their rated value.
> I can’t remember the figure for DC but AC motors can produce 2.5 x rated value at start-up, provided the electrical supply is capable.



This is a key point, which also makes wattage figures close to meaningless.

Most nominally rated 250w road legal motors peak at around 750w, depending on controller settings and battery strength.

Thus a bike with what the maker calls a 1,000w motor might not feel that powerful compared to a 250w a with strong battery and aggressive controller settings.

Only a back-to-back test ride would tell you which bike has the most poke and by how much.


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