BionX was a Canadian maker of electric motors for bicycles as well as bicycle retrofit kits, operating from 1998 to 2018, originally named EPS (Electric Propulsion Systems) .
BionX was headquartered in Aurora, Ontario where motors were produced and assembled before being marketed in over 15 countries. Research and development was based in Sherbrooke, Quebec. The European sales and service center was located near Munich, Germany.
In 1998, entrepreneur Jean-Yves Dubé formed Energy and Propulsion Systems (EPS), a company in Quebec, Canada. [1] In 2000, the name was changed to "BionX".
In 2008, the company was acquired by Magna [2] and by then its motors had become standard in many ebikes in Europe and North America, including bikes by Trek and Matra, [3] Kalkhoff.
In 2011, Bionix introduced SeaScape, an electrically assisted paddle-boat product line.
On February 27, 2018, BionX Canada went into receivership, its 80 employees were dismissed, and the company was shut down temporarily to find a buyer. [4] Grant Thornton Limited was appointed as Receiver. [5] In June 2018, parts of the business were sold off to three other businesses, [6] and the rest of the company assets were liquidated via online auction that ended August 15, 2018. [7] By October 2018, BionX's receiver sold the company's intellectual property, patents, trademarks, software web domains as well as remaining inventory with court approval to Amego Electric Vehicles and its nominee Leisger Cycle Inc. [8]
BionX motors were typically mounted into an oversized rear wheel hub and were noted for their low noise; regenerative braking capability and hub-embedded motor controller.
The D series of motors was the most recent and strongest BionX technology with a torque of 25/50 Nm. The motor cylinder was larger but thinner than previous versions and weighed 4.0 kg (8.8 lb). Before that was the S series which with 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) was lighter than the P series at the same strength. The P series motors were the first produced by Bionx. They had a torque of 9/40 Nm at a weight of 4.7 kg (10.4 lb). [9]
| Watts* | Voltage | Weight | Year | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D-500 | 500W (NA), 250W (EU) | 48V | 4.08 kg | 2015 | |
| S-350 | 350W (NA) | 48V | 4.08 kg | 2014 | |
| P-350 | 350W (NA), 250W (EU) | 36V | 4.7 kg | 2014 | |
| SL-350 | 350W (NA) | 48V | 4.3 kg | 2013 | |
| PL-350 | 350W (NA) | 37V | 4.3 kg | 2013 | |
| PL-250 | 250W (NA) | 26V | 4.3 kg | 2013 |
*Since the maximum legal power specifications in Watts are different for the same motor in North America and Europe, the name varies. For example, the P-350 is usually sold as the P-250 in Europe.
While Bionx had competition from several wheel hub-based motor companies, including Panasonic (e.g. KTM's eRace), Alber's Xion (lately in Kalkhoff bikes), [10] Heinzmann, [11] and GoSwiss, [12] their primary competitor was the Bosch eBike. [13]
A velomobile ; velomobiel, velo, or bicycle car is a human-powered vehicle (HPV) enclosed for aerodynamic advantage and/or protection from weather and collisions. Velomobiles are similar to recumbent bicycles, pedal go-karts and tricycles, but with a full fairing and are not to be confused with purpose-built mobiles for racing or speed records fully faired vehicles with two wheels, generally called streamliners. Streamliners have set many speed and distance records.
Campagnolo is an Italian manufacturer of high-end bicycle components with headquarters in Vicenza, Italy. The components are organised as groupsets (gruppi), and are a near-complete collection of a bicycle's mechanical parts. Campagnolo's flagship components are the Super Record, Record, and Chorus groupsets with all three representing their recent shift to 12-speed drivetrains. Super Record and Record are the top groupsets, followed by Chorus, Potenza, Centaur and Veloce. Campagnolo also produces aluminum and carbon wheels, as well as other components.
A cargo bike is a human powered vehicle designed and constructed specifically for transporting loads. Cargo bike designs include a cargo area consisting of an open or enclosed box, a flat platform, or a wire basket, usually mounted over one or both wheels, low behind the front wheel, or between parallel wheels at either the front or rear of the vehicle. The frame, drivetrain and wheels must be constructed to handle loads larger than those on an ordinary bicycle.
A motorized bicycle is a bicycle with an attached motor or engine and transmission used either to power the vehicle unassisted, or to assist with pedalling. Since it sometimes retains both pedals and a discrete connected drive for rider-powered propulsion, the motorized bicycle is in technical terms a true bicycle, albeit a power-assisted one. Typically they are incapable of speeds above 52 km/h (32 mph), however in recent years larger motors have been built, allowing bikes to reach speeds of upwards of 72 km/h.
An electric bicycle is a motorized bicycle with an integrated electric motor used to assist propulsion. Many kinds of e-bikes are available worldwide, but they generally fall into two broad categories: bikes that assist the rider's pedal-power and bikes that add a throttle, integrating moped-style functionality. Both retain the ability to be pedaled by the rider and are therefore not electric motorcycles. E-bikes use rechargeable batteries and typically are motor-powered up to 25 to 32 km/h. High-powered varieties can often travel more than 45 km/h (28 mph).
Many countries have enacted electric vehicle laws to regulate the use of electric bicycles, also termed e-bikes. Some jurisdictions have regulations governing safety requirements and standards of manufacture. The members of the European Union and other regions have wider-ranging legislation covering use and safety.
A bicycle trailer is a motorless wheeled frame with a hitch system for transporting cargo by bicycle. It can greatly increase a bike's cargo capacity, allowing point-to-point haulage of objects up to 3 cubic metres in volume that weigh as much as 500 kg. However, very heavily loaded trailers may pose a danger to the cyclist and others, and the voluntary European standard EN 15918 therefore suggests a maximum load of 60 kg on trailers without brakes.
A centreless wheel is a wheel that lacks a centre or hub, instead being supported and driven at the rim.
Bionix may refer to:
A pedelec or EPAC, is a type of low-powered electric bicycle where the rider's pedalling is assisted by a small electric motor. However, unlike some other types of e-bikes, pedelecs are classified as conventional bicycles in many countries by road authorities rather than as a type of electric moped. Pedelecs include an electronic controller which cuts power to the motor when the rider is not pedalling or when a certain speed – usually 25 km/h (16 mph) or 32 km/h (20 mph) – is reached. Pedelecs are useful for people who ride in hilly areas or in strong headwinds. While a pedelec can be any type of bicycle, a pedelec city bike is very common. A conventional bicycle can be converted to a pedelec with the addition of the necessary parts, e.g., motor, battery, etc.
The Ducati 848 is a sport bike with a 849 cc (51.8 cu in) 90° L-twin engine made by Ducati. It was announced on November 6, 2007 for the 2008 model year, replacing the 749. The 848 and the 1098 are the same design by Giandrea Fabbro, both use the same frame and bodywork. The first generation 848 makes a claimed 92 kW 10,000 rpm and 90 N⋅m (66 lbf⋅ft) torque at 8,240 rpm. With a manufacturer claimed dry weight of 168 kg (370 lb), the 848 is 5 kg (11 lb) lighter than its larger displacement sibling, the 1198. The first generation 848 covered model years 2008, 2009 and 2010. In July 2009 the 848 Hayden Limited Edition was introduced as a 2010 model as a marketing tie-in with world champion Nicky Hayden racing for Ducati starting from the 2009 Moto GP season.
A kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) is an automotive system for recovering a moving vehicle's kinetic energy under braking. The recovered energy is stored in a reservoir for later use under acceleration. Examples include complex high end systems such as the Zytek, Flybrid, Torotrak and Xtrac used in Formula One racing and simple, easily manufactured and integrated differential based systems such as the Cambridge Passenger/Commercial Vehicle Kinetic Energy Recovery System (CPC-KERS).
The Tidalforce Electric Bicycle was an electric bicycle manufactured by Wavecrest Labs from 2003 until the company went out of business in 2006. All models of Wavecrest Tidalforce electric bikes have a 36 volt electric hub motor built into the rear wheel hub and a 36 volt battery pack built into the front wheel hub. Wavecrest Labs manufactured three models of Tidalforce bikes: The Wavecrest Tidalforce M-750, the S-750 Traditional hard tail mountain bike and the iO-750 Cruiser. Any of the three bikes with an X suffix denotes that the motor is a 1000 watt motor without a set speed restriction as compared to the speed limit 750 watt version.
The wheel hub motor is an electric motor that is incorporated into the hub of a wheel and either has direct-drive or planetary gears.
Bicycle drivetrain systems are used to transmit power on bicycles, tricycles, quadracycles, unicycles, or other human-powered vehicles from the riders to the drive wheels. Most also include some type of a mechanism to convert speed and torque via gear ratios.
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The FIA World Rallycross Championship is a rallycross series organised by the FIA in conjunction with series promoter Rallycross Promoter GmbH. From the inaugural season in 2014 to 2020, sanctioning was shared with IMG Motorsport.
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Unu is a German manufacturer of electric scooters based in Berlin. In 2014, the company began offering three engine sizes. The vehicles are assembled in China and distributed in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and Netherlands.
Benno Bikes is a bicycle brand and manufacturer of electric bicycles, cargo bikes, and comfort bikes, as well as cargo accessories and bicycle parts. It was founded in 2015 by Benno Baenziger — who made a name and reputation by co-founding with Jeano Erforth, Electra Bicycle company, a modern electric bike manufacturer, in Del Mar, California. These electric bicycles are a crossover between comfort bikes and cargo bikes. A sobriquet for the concept of these bikes has been described and trademarked as "etility" by Benno.
