Startup in the growing market of Electromobility – Introducing bimoz

bimoz – Electromobility and Pedelecs

The market
People live healthier when they go cycling. This simple wisdom resulted from a variety of statistics which were raise by different agencies and institutions.
Especially for commuters in major cities, where the way to work is at a moderate distance (Hamburg or Berlin 11 kilometres) doing this partly on the bike in summer is both a feasible and a desirable option. Covering this distance from home to work often takes longer in a car. With corresponding consequences for the commuter. According to the absence report of the health insurance company AOK from 2012, gastro-intestinal problems, back pain, headaches and sleep disorders are frequent side effects of driving to work in the morning. Also with transport planning, bicycles with motor assistance play a strategic role. Electric bicycles have become increasingly popular in recent years, they allow easy riding with minimal effort through pedal-assistance. The trend is to the electric bicycle - and with this trend, the acceptance that non-sport enthusiasts and commuters ("warmed up, but not sweating to the office") switch to the bicycle. This pleasing trend can prove to be positive for cities. In Berlin, the proportion of cyclists in the city traffic is already around 40% - and due to the motorization this trend will continue further. The still relatively young market of electric bicycles is quite confusing. Not only in the vernacular, but also within the industry there are different categories of electric bicycles. The definition of an E-bike is a bicycle which also runs without the rider having to press into the pedals, where the electrical auxiliary drive works completely independently of leg strength. A Pedelec on the other hand is an electric bicycle that supports the pedaling of the rider. A Pedelec (short for Pedal Electric Cycle), however is an electric bicycle, which supports the rider. The motor operates in conjunction with the applied force of the muscle or the cranking motion. The Pedelecs have a market share of over 90% in the electric bicycle market. The demand for Pedelecs rises every year, and this, although these bicycles are often very expensive, and are not lightweight. To haul such bicycles every day into the apartment or in the basement is really torture - the average for weight for electric bicycles is around 20 kilograms. The price for a normal bicycle is an average of 660 USD. A qualitatively acceptable Pedelec begins at 1650 USD. Nevertheless, e-bikes are in te trend. Growth rates of up to 20% per annum are expected by the industry (in 2015, more than 510,000 electric bikes were sold in Germany alone!) - and an end of this positive development is impossible to judge.

The innovation
In the future, you will have to get used to a new term, if the electric drive developers engineer Giacomo Carcangiu and Roland Eschler have anything to say in the matter. The Italian-Swiss team are themselves bicycle enthusiasts and the "bimoz" named Pedelec drive fulfills a heart's desire according to his own statement that can be subsequently installed on almost all bicycles. "Smart Bike" or "Smart-E-Bike" would be the correct description for what these two have developed. It all started when the engineer Giacomo Carcangiu, who previously focused on racing technology and industrial automation, had the idea to develop a retrofittable, slender and yet powerful direct drive for his own bicycle, whereby anyone at any age can mount this in their own bicycle. After several prototypes, the drive is now so far developed that it can go into series production. The properties of this drive sound like the solution to all problems that have to do with the acceptance of an electric bicycle.

Technical data
Let's start with the weight. The drive is designed as a retrofit kit with a total weight (including battery pack) of just 1.97 kilograms. According to present research, this is world record in this area for a bicycle motor.
Also, a technical feature: The power transmission. It is gearless and is made possible by a "high performance magnetic system". The patented drive system receives its power from two battery options. The standard battery rated at 14V/ 80 Wh, depending on speed, environment and riding style gives a range of 40 - 60 km. The XL battery, depending on the speed, temperature and topography will possibly support bimoz for 130 - 150 km (up to 1000 charging cycles and charging time 3 hours). The battery can be removed and loaded at home on the charging station.
The maintenance-free direct drive makes no noise. When switched-off it does not alter the characteristics of the bicycle. Via the control unit, the bimoz is switched on and can be set infinitely to the needed support. The drive has a torque of up to 50 Nm. (Max speed 25 km/h)
All of this does not sound so earth-shattering according to Roland Eschler - responsible for communication in the bimoz team. "The true values are hidden in the control unit of bimoz: The electronics measure the torque and speed several times per second and measures the applied and the existing force at different points. The bimoz system calculates a "buttery transition" between motor support and rider. It can interpret short heavy pedal pressure and thus quickly provide maximum power. The result is a support that is so intuitive, soft and sensitive that you only realize once you sit back on a conventional bicycle". Without support the bicycle is just like any other bicycle. Therefore the drive is suitable for people who have always been against an "Auxiliary motor". In the future, you have the choice whether you want support or not. The direct-drive can do even more. Different training modes can be selected via an APP, because, what is used as a support, the motor can also be used for braking. Here, the APP shows what can be achieved: Using bimoz the boring Ergometer-Training with the different difficulty levels can also be moved to the forest. For flat country athletes a practical function - they can use this method to simulate riding in the mountains. Admitted, it seems bit strange if a fit cyclist on the flat wheezes and is breathless, but the training effect is enormous. Your own training units can be programmed in the APP. Via timeline the training steps can be programmed at intervals, something like the following: 10 minutes free riding, so that there is enough oxygen in the blood. Then several intervals with increases (in watts), as you know it from the Ergotrainer in the gym. You can share these programs with "Friends", who also have a bimoz of their own or you can ride synchronously together. Also in the APP: Cardio training per heart rate. Simply enter the target heart rate, and bimoz enables support, or slows down the bike in interaction with the heart rate. Roland Eschler stresses that this is only the beginning. Currently he is preparing a Crowd Funding campaign, to bring the launch of this innovative product forward. He is convinced that the argument for bimoz will lead to the success of this product. A good message to conclude with: Bimoz is offered as "Early-Bird" for less than 1000 USD on the Crowd Funding Platform Indiegogo starting on 16th March - with the variety of opportunities and benefits it is just a bargain. So the boom of Pedelecs will experience another boost with this innovative product, because bimoz can be installed on almost all bicycles. (www.bimoz.ch)

Benefits at a glance:
- Center motor with best power distribution
- Retrofittable to almost any normal standard bicycle / easy assembly
- Ride without drive smoothly and without any change to the riding characteristics
- Just a few components / maintenance-free design
- Removable battery
- Different training modes are available via the app

Technical data:
Total weight motor + standard battery: 1.97 kg

Motor:
Type: Integrated, clutch-less, direct drive; proprietary, high efficiency permanent magnet motor
Power: 250 watt
Weight: 1.37 kg
Maximum torque: 50 Nm
Gear shift detection: Yes
Top speed: 25 km/h (limitation by law to 25 km/h)

Standard battery:
Weight: 0.60 kg
Capacity: 80 Watt hour
Voltage: 14V
Range: 40 – 60 km
Duration: 1.5 h at 50%

XL battery:
Weight: 1.20 kg
Capacity: 220 Wh
Voltage: 14V
Range: 130 – 150 km
Duration: 3 h at 50%

Battery type: Sealed, maintenance-free, polymer lithium
Battery charger weight: 350 g
Battery charge time: aprox. 3 h
Range general: depending on speed, terrain, rider weight, driving conditions

bimoz is a swiss startup that developed an innovativ pedelec drive. Starting on 16th March it will be introduced with a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo.

Roland Eschler
Z Institute AG
Zugerstrasse 76B
CH-6340 Baar
Tel.: + 41 (0) 78 859 88 88
E-Mail: info@bimoz.ch
Web: www.bimoz.ch

This release was published on openPR.