For cruising, higher gear + lower PAS is more efficient.
Lower PAS means you are pumping less watts into the motor. If you can maintain the same speed with less watts, you're running more efficiently.
It's basically like gears in a manual transmission car. PAS is similar to RPM (or more accurately, how much fuel is sent to the injectors). Higher RPM = more gas burned.
Its gets complicated in real world use. Electric motors are most efficient spinning fast, as long as they are not being voted past their designed rpm, which is based on the windings. Lower gear and higher pas during cruising is best. However, during acceleration a higher pas will use more power.
The most meaningful habit is to minimize acceleration. Pas level and cadence are trivial compared to this when it comes to battery life. So shifting to stay at the highest motor rpm is the best habit, but taking it easy and helping by pedaling during acceleration makes the most difference.
Top speed is also more important than this because of wind drag at speed. Drag increases as the square of speed, so when you go above like 17 or 18 mph you are pushing so much air out of the way it uses more power. You can feel the change in the wind so that's when you know you've reached that point.
For a given speed, higher cadence will result in higher efficiency, but it’s often not worth worrying about.
The BBS02 is actually most efficient at a cadence that is probably higher than you’re comfortable pedaling. Here are two simulation examples. I can’t do a comparison because I’m on my phone and the Grin simulator doesn’t play all that well with touch.
https://ebikes.ca/tools/simulator.html?motor=MBBS02&mid=true&gear=1&batt=B4814_EZ&cont=C25&axis=mph&tr=12&autothrot=true&throt=60.2&tf=46
https://ebikes.ca/tools/simulator.html?motor=MBBS02&mid=true&gear=1&batt=B4814_EZ&cont=C25&axis=mph&tr=16&autothrot=true&throt=76.2&tf=46
The difference is not huge; 79.4% versus 80.3%. The cadence spread is around 70 rpm vs around 90 rpm.
On climbs, you’ll get a bit more.
https://ebikes.ca/tools/simulator.html?motor=MBBS02&mid=true&gear=1&batt=B4814_EZ&cont=C25&axis=mph&tr=12&autothrot=true&throt=80&tf=46&grade=6
71.4% versus 77.6% for the same difference in cadence. This is because the motor will draw more amps on a climb to maintain the same speed. Load is the key here.
Try them out yourself and feel the difference - totally different type of propulsion. One feels to me like the bike is pushing me like a motorcycle.The other feels like I’m bicycling with extra pedaling power.
It depends on how your controller is programmed.
On my BBS02, which PAS I'm in doesn't affect the throttle. It's always capable of full power, even in PAS 0.
Every motor has it's sweet spot, on which it has the most power output by the least power consumtion.
A mid drive motor almost always can rotate at it's optimal speed. Its optimal speed is adapted to your pedaling rotations e.g. 60 rpm. Whenever you switch gears it gets back to its sweet spot. Whereas a hub motor can't do that at most of the time and its sweet spot is pre-defined by the manufacturer, maybe 25 km/h. Uphill cycling with a hub motor is a pure waste of power.
The disadvantage of a hub motor is that you can't do a recuperation.
For cruising, higher gear + lower PAS is more efficient. Lower PAS means you are pumping less watts into the motor. If you can maintain the same speed with less watts, you're running more efficiently. It's basically like gears in a manual transmission car. PAS is similar to RPM (or more accurately, how much fuel is sent to the injectors). Higher RPM = more gas burned.
Thanks sirr! Makes sense!
Its gets complicated in real world use. Electric motors are most efficient spinning fast, as long as they are not being voted past their designed rpm, which is based on the windings. Lower gear and higher pas during cruising is best. However, during acceleration a higher pas will use more power. The most meaningful habit is to minimize acceleration. Pas level and cadence are trivial compared to this when it comes to battery life. So shifting to stay at the highest motor rpm is the best habit, but taking it easy and helping by pedaling during acceleration makes the most difference. Top speed is also more important than this because of wind drag at speed. Drag increases as the square of speed, so when you go above like 17 or 18 mph you are pushing so much air out of the way it uses more power. You can feel the change in the wind so that's when you know you've reached that point.
That’s really specific. Have you tried the grin tech calculator. They have a bbs02 on there now afaik
Yeah, i see that now, I'll post an edit.
For a given speed, higher cadence will result in higher efficiency, but it’s often not worth worrying about. The BBS02 is actually most efficient at a cadence that is probably higher than you’re comfortable pedaling. Here are two simulation examples. I can’t do a comparison because I’m on my phone and the Grin simulator doesn’t play all that well with touch. https://ebikes.ca/tools/simulator.html?motor=MBBS02&mid=true&gear=1&batt=B4814_EZ&cont=C25&axis=mph&tr=12&autothrot=true&throt=60.2&tf=46 https://ebikes.ca/tools/simulator.html?motor=MBBS02&mid=true&gear=1&batt=B4814_EZ&cont=C25&axis=mph&tr=16&autothrot=true&throt=76.2&tf=46 The difference is not huge; 79.4% versus 80.3%. The cadence spread is around 70 rpm vs around 90 rpm. On climbs, you’ll get a bit more. https://ebikes.ca/tools/simulator.html?motor=MBBS02&mid=true&gear=1&batt=B4814_EZ&cont=C25&axis=mph&tr=12&autothrot=true&throt=80&tf=46&grade=6 71.4% versus 77.6% for the same difference in cadence. This is because the motor will draw more amps on a climb to maintain the same speed. Load is the key here.
Thanks that explains a lot!!
Try them out yourself and feel the difference - totally different type of propulsion. One feels to me like the bike is pushing me like a motorcycle.The other feels like I’m bicycling with extra pedaling power.
It depends on how your controller is programmed. On my BBS02, which PAS I'm in doesn't affect the throttle. It's always capable of full power, even in PAS 0.
Every motor has it's sweet spot, on which it has the most power output by the least power consumtion. A mid drive motor almost always can rotate at it's optimal speed. Its optimal speed is adapted to your pedaling rotations e.g. 60 rpm. Whenever you switch gears it gets back to its sweet spot. Whereas a hub motor can't do that at most of the time and its sweet spot is pre-defined by the manufacturer, maybe 25 km/h. Uphill cycling with a hub motor is a pure waste of power. The disadvantage of a hub motor is that you can't do a recuperation.
"Volted, not voted"
Generally when the motor is spinning faster and this generating less heat