700 km on the first prototype of our e-bike

The prototype of the frame was made and, since the priority of the patent application filed earlier had not yet been received at the moment of tests start, for road tests the frame of the bicycle was partially camouflaged with a coloured tape. Before getting the sample of an average drive motor from Comp Drive, Bafang SWX 02 350W rear drive motor with a power of 350W was installed on the prototype. This drive motor worked in conjunction with a 48V battery with a capacity of 13 Ah.

Since at the very beginning I still have not had a full confidence in the reliability of fastening frame elements, the first tests were carried out on urban asphalt at speeds up to 20-25 km / h. After the bike passed the first 50 km, confidence appeared and I decided to ride the full 40 km / h with the maximum possible dynamics that means without the help of the pedalling, only using the throttle.

Then, after the frame have passed repeated tests of its strength from collisions with curbs and other obstacles in urban environments, my tests were transferred to the “off-road” conditions of the suburb and city parks. In places where it was possible to drive on speedy ascents and descents from slides, as well as to drive over rough terrain, the surface conditions of which ranged from sandy beaches to rocky paths.

In total, on the first prototype I drove more than 700 km. In the design of the frame several shortcomings were identified. They have been entered in our list of improvements. Along with this, we together with the partner decided to create a 3D model and carry out CAD simulation of the frame elements in Solidworks with the help of specialists from an engineering company in order to optimize the number and location of the rivets.