How to Do Throttle and Pedal Assist Work in E-bikes
Electric bikes are becoming more popular every day. People opt to buy e-bikes as their daily commute or for weekend off-road trips.
Today, you can buy an e-bike based on your requirements such as frame type, range, power, etc.
We, as a dedicated e-bike maker, get a lot of inquiries from our potential customers. One common topic is how throttle and pedal assist work.
In this blog, we are going to cover the topic of throttle and pedal assist.
What is Throttle?
The throttle system allows you to move your bike without pedalling. This is similar to a regular electric scooter or a fuel-powered scooter. Mainly, this is the point that distinguishes a regular bike from an e-bike. On an electric bike, you can sit back and relax while the motor does the work for you providing you with a range to cover. This is ideal for people who want an effortless drive, without harming our environment.
Power delivered in the throttle mode depends on the motor capacity along with the torque produced.
What is Pedal Assist?
Unlike the throttle mode, where you get the power instantly from the motor. In pedal assist, you will get enough power to keep you going. This system is designed to help you pedal easily and make your ride effortless to cruise at a constant speed.
It is useful for people, who live in hot climates or they don't want their legs sore after every ride. There are different pedal assist levels based on the power that you need from the e-bike, such as levels 1,2,3,4, etc. Now, this can also increase /decrease based on the type of e-bike as adventure e-bikes have more pedal assist levels as they are designed to move through tough terrains.
For pedal assist systems, there are two modes of operation:
- Cadence pedal assist system.
- Torque-based pedal assist system.
Cadence pedal assist system:
In simple words, a cadence-based pedal assist system provides you with different levels along with a speed limit for each of them.
For example, there can be 4 pedal assist systems:
- Pedal assist system 1 level: 6 MPH
- Pedal assist system 2 levels: 15 MPH
- Pedal assist system 3 levels: 25 MPH
- Pedal assist system 4 levels: 30 MPH
This is an example of a cadence-based pedal-assist system, where you get different levels to choose from along with a speed limit. These are ideal for cruising through long distances or zipping through the speed, and maintaining the speed limit at the same time. Therefore, you will find these modes in most of the city-focused e-bikes, as this system does the job well to keep you moving without any extra effort.
Torque-based pedal assist
Torque-based pedal assist systems are more advanced compared to cadence-based pedal assist systems. The torque pedal assists are advanced compared to the cadence-based pedal assist systems.
Cadence-based pedal assist systems provide power in proportion to the effort provided during pedalling. For example, if you start to pedal hard, then the motor will sense and provide you adequate torque as per your pedalling efforts.
The advanced system comes at a higher cost, and this is the reason why you will find an advanced pedal system in high-end expensive e-bikes.
Overall the pedal assist system is designed to ease your pedalling experience. Pedal assistance helps you to move through hills and makes your bike rides effortless, without any hesitation about what challenges the road might throw at you.
Throttle system vs pedal assists: You should have both!
We have explained the throttle system & the pedal assist system work for you. Well, both modes have their advantages, and we would suggest that you buy an e-bike that provides both modes.
However, you should consider the power delivery based on your requirements. If you are planning to go through long distances, then you have a commuter e-bike with a big motor along with a pedal assist. Now many people ask which is better: the throttle system or the pedal assist system?
Well, you should buy an e-bike that comes with both. You will never regret your decision as these are effective modes. There might be a learning curve to extract the best range out of your e-bike, but it is worth it.
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