In the USA, there are indications that industry giant Shimano could be developing a new ebike system. As the editors of Outside reported in their online magazine Velo, the manufacturer filed several patents with the US Patent Office USPTO a few days ago. One of these patents refers to a mid-motor that is more compact than the units currently installed.
The patent is entitled “Drive unit for human-powered vehicle and battery holding device of human-powered vehicle”. According to Velo, the motor described in the patent is significantly smaller than the current EP8, EP801 and EP600. The paper generally states that the drive should be suitable for use on different types of ebike. However, some indications point to a solution that could primarily be intended for e-road bikes and e-gravel bikes.
Initial illustration from the Shimano patent
Thesis with three arguments
The first illustration in the patent serves as an initial indication of this hypothesis. It shows a bicycle featuring drop bars. But you shouldn’t bet too much on this. After all, in addition to a suspension fork, the ebike also is equipped with rim brakes. Hardly any ebike manufacturer would seriously consider them for such a bike these days.
The second clue is more or less provided by Shimano itself. If you take a closer look at the Japanese company’s range, you will discover certain gaps. For example, with the EP8, EP801 and EP600, the full-power units are well represented. This is followed by the E6100 and E5000 drive units, two systems aimed at the urban ebike and trekking bike market. However, nothing immediately catches the eye that would be conceivable on an e-mountain bike or an urban ebike, where the motor should be more in the background, both visually and in terms of its performance.
For the third hint, you only need to take a quick look at the current market. Bosch with the Performance Line SX, Giant with the SyncDrive Pro 2, TQ with the HPR50, Fazua with the Ride 60, Maxon with the Bikedrive Air and so on – the competitors have long since taken off in precisely this segment. They have all reduced the power output of the motors somewhat in favour of smaller units and combined them with equally compact battery solutions. The result is sporty-looking ebikes on which designers suddenly have completely new options for integrating the drives. Other candidates, such as Mavic with the X-Tend, have long been waiting in the wings to get in on the action.
The patent proposes an ebike drive with a removable battery.
Shimano currently has some catching up to do
And the right playground is spreading out in front of them with e-road bikes and e-gravel bikes. This segment has reported considerable growth rates in sales over the past two or three years. If this continues, it will also mean a significant share of unit sales in the foreseeable future. Shimano would certainly like to have a share of this.
For the moment, however, the competition is a good deal ahead of the manufacturer. It certainly doesn’t want to leave it that way permanently. However, models such as the Giant Revolt E+ Pro represent the reality. The EP8 installed in the gravel bike offers more than enough power. However, the motor and battery are designed more for other applications. As a result, the Giant is significantly heavier and appears much bulkier than a Scott Solace eRide, a KTM Macina Gravelator SX or a Megamo Kansas. And when buying a bike, the visual impression traditionally has an immense influence.
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- Revolt E+ Pro
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- Scott Solace Gravel eRide 20
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- KTM Macina Gravelator SX 10
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- Megamo Kansas 23
Dimensions not the only trump card?
Perhaps a new drive from Shimano can change this situation. Apart from the smaller dimensions, not much can be deduced from this yet. There is no mention of any potential performance data. However, it is interesting to see how Shimano has designed the motor and battery arrangement. Mention is made of a mount on the motor that holds the battery.
In the future system, the battery integrated in the down tube apparently does not have to be positioned above the motor.
It should be able to be mounted in various positions. In the pictures you can see that the battery can be pushed through underneath the motor. In some cases, even a third of the battery sticks out from under the motor. This could significantly lower the ebike’s centre of gravity. A trick that would prove particularly valuable for e-mountainbikes.
How far the battery is positioned underneath the motor is apparently variable.
As far as the performance of a new e-drive is concerned, Velo is speculating on a torque of between 40 Newton metres and 50 Newton metres, while the motor would have to be lighter than two kilograms to have any serious prospects of gaining market share in the future. The TQ HPR50 and the Fazua Ride 60, for example, are in this range – certainly not a bad benchmark.
Pictures: Shimano Inc.; Giant Deutschland GmbH; KTM Fahrrad GmbH; Scott Sports SA; TNT Cycles S.L.
