So, does your smartphone need a charger again too? You should have let your ebike charge it during your last ride. Oh no, that usually doesn’t work at all. Supernova has also recognised this. That’s why the bicycle lighting specialist is now launching a solution on the market that offers you a charging port for your ebike that is compatible with a wide range of ebike systems and enables real charging.
Electricity is constantly flowing when riding an ebike. In the vast majority of cases, however, this only supplies the components of the e-drive with energy. Only a few current ebike systems, such as those from Giant, the Fazua Ride 60, the Bike Eco System from ZF or the DJI Avinox, allow you to divert some of the charging current to smartphones, bike computers or other mobile devices. And even there, what comes from the display or a control unit is often only sufficient to equalise the power required for continuous operation. Anyone who uses their smartphone on their ebike to navigate knows that this is not enough for constant GPS synchronisation in the long term. With the USB-C Charger from Supernova, this should change in the future. Here’s everything you need to know about this new charging module with USB interface in a nutshell.
1. What kind of device is the Supernova USB-C Charger?
2. Which technical requirements does it have for ebikes?
3. What characterises it?
4. What is the most convenient way to use it?
5. What other alternatives are there?
6. In which versions does Supernova offer the USB-C Charger?
1. What kind of device is the Supernova USB-C Charger?
The Supernova USB-C Charger is a universal charging port for various ebike systems. It can be used to charge a wide variety of mobile devices. For many of you, the smartphone probably still plays the biggest role. The device works in conjunction with a front headlight already installed on the ebike. However, this does not necessarily have to be present. The charging module can also be installed and used as a separate component.
2. Which technical requirements does it have for ebikes?
Ideally, your ebike should provide an output voltage of twelve volts. However, Supernova allows a certain tolerance, which is in the range between eleven and 15 volts. It is important that the drive provides at least twelve watts as a voltage source. You can connect the Supernova USB-C Charger to the light port of the motor. If this is already occupied, alternative slots such as the Low Power Port (LPP) and the High Power Port (HPP) on the Bosch Smart System are also suitable.
3. What characterises it?
When connected to the ebike system, the charging module generates a charging power of ten watts or a charging current of two amps. This is a far cry from the 65 watts output via the display of the DJI Avinox and is by no means a fast charging function. Nevertheless, it should certainly cover the normal power requirements of a smartphone. Understandably, Supernova has made the USB-C Charger waterproof. A rubber flap firmly attached to the housing protects the port from the ingress of dirt and water. According to the manufacturer, the device only emits small amounts of electromagnetic radiation, so that other electrical devices in the vicinity should function without limitations.
4. What is the most convenient way to use it?
The most elegant way to use the USB-C Charger is in combination with the M99 Pro 2 headlight from Supernova. In this case, a single cable just a few centimetres long called the P2 Compact Power Connection Cable is all you need to connect it to the e-drive. You plug this into the P2 port of the M99 Pro 2. Then connect its end to the plug that comes from the charging module. That’s all there is to it.
The installation also requires no further additions. The USB-C Charger holder is just two or three millimetres wide. This means you can easily attach it to the headlight bracket. Make sure that you mount the port so that the charging socket is facing you. This makes it easy to connect the mobile device of your choice afterwards.
5. What other alternatives are there?
However, many of you will have fitted a headlight other than the Supernova M99 Pro 2 to your ebike. Or none at all, also possible. Fortunately, there are good solutions for both cases.
Case 1: A different headlight
As mentioned, Supernova has designed the bracket for the charging module to be very thin. It should therefore be similarly easy to fit to a number of handlebar mounts on other headlights. The hole in the bracket has a diameter of eleven millimetres. You can use this information to quickly determine whether this could be an option for you. That concludes the mounting on the handlebars. An additional work step awaits you, of course, is laying the cable to the motor.
Case 2: No front headlight or front headlight installed far away from the handlebars
Is the headlight on your ebike located on the fork crown, the front carrier or are you currently not using any permanently installed lights? Then you can mount the Supernova USB-C Charger using a separate bracket. You can use the universal handlebar mount HBM from Supernova or a universal clamp. The latter is likely to be significantly cheaper, but of course looks less good than the HBM. Supernova’s product comes with spacer sleeves. With an ordinary clamp, you also need to consider these. As already mentioned, the hole diameter of the bracket on the USB-C Charger is eleven millimetres.
6. In which versions does Supernova offer the USB-C Charger?
Supernova is bringing the USB-C Charger onto the market in two different versions, depending on the respective requirements of the ebike. The first is the version for the Bosch Smart System without a Supernova M99 Pro 2 already installed. At the end of its 1,400 millimetre cable is a connection for the LPP on the Bosch motor. The second variant, on the other hand, measures only 120 millimetres and ends with the Power Connector plug. You choose this if the situation on your ebike differs from the first scenario. A Supernova Power Connector cable with open ends can be connected to the Power Connector plug. This ensures compatibility with all other drive systems.
The Supernova USB-C Charger is available now at a price of 69.90 euros.
Pictures: Supernova Design GmbH; Elektrofahrrad24 GmbH
