Enabling Technologies and Future Technologies 
Edward Benjamin
Light Electric Vehicles Association
Tuesday, June 1, 2021
 
Technologies that had to become affordable before we could have electric bikes:
 
For most of the approximately 300 million users of electric bikes around the world, an electric bike is a transportation tool. Transportation tools must be reliable, economical, attractive in appearance, easy to use, and easy to service. And since they are on two wheels – weight and bulk are issues as well.
 
Before the mid-’90s, most of the technologies I will mention here existed, but were either too bulky, not efficient, or too expensive. (For example, a lithium e-bike battery in the early days of the e-bike biz could easily run $3,000.)
 
Here is a list of the key devices/technologies that allowed e-bikes to become practical and affordable.
 

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  1. Rare Earth Permanent Magnets enabled compact, powerful, and energy-efficient DC motors. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neodymium_magnet.
  2. MOSFETs are switches that can be controlled by microchips, open and close without arcing, and are used in motor controllers, battery management systems, and more. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOSFET
  3. Hall Sensors detect and can measure the distance or strength of a magnetic field. They are used in motors, throttles, torque sensors, and more. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall_effect_sensor
  4. PWM motor controllers using MOSFETs and Hall Sensors as well as microchips became compact, efficient, and affordable. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse-width_modulation
  5. Affordable and capable microchips allow effective motor controllers, battery management systems, and most of the “future features” below. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_circuit
  6. Ever better and less expensive advanced batteries. Today’s e-bike battery is astonishing in both capability and low price. Really!

    Today we have reliable and efficient electric bikes. And more and more of the bikes have some of these features, enabled by some even more recent technologies:
     
    1. Telematics means that your bike will communicate with you, the engineers that designed it, the shop that sold it, and more. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telematics
    2. Vehicle to Vehicle communications may make accidents much less likely. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicular_ad_hoc_network
    3. Blue tooth modules in the controller and battery will enable communications and setting of parameters via your phone app.
    4. Access to the cellular network either through an onboard SIM card or your phone will enable accident detection and reporting.
    5. Your bike may text you to remind you of a need for charging or service.
    6. Your bike may text the local bike shop to ask them to rendezvous with you to fix a flat or other walk-home problem.
    7. Airbag helmets that look like fat scarves until you start to fall are available now.
    8. Helmets with cellular access that can show lights, signals, and summon help when your head hits the pavement are just around the corner.
    9. Stealing an electric bike will soon be a really bad idea. Not only will the bike refuse to function, but it will be easily located by law enforcement.

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