E Brompton: promises/promises

oldgroaner

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 15, 2015
23,457
32,608
79
Brompton hopes electric bicycles can power international growth
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/may/30/brompton-hopes-electric-bikes-power-international-growth?CMP=share_btn_tw#comment-75352376
And there's a link back to an earlier article more optimistically entitled
Dated today
"
Brompton goes electric! The folding bike rolls into the future
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2015/aug/18/brompton-folding-bicycle-pass-notes
Dated 18th August 2015
In other words not only have they made no progress, but seem to have gone backwards to the point of seeming merely hopeful rather than committed to the project.
No wonder British industry is in a sorry state when this is the best that the sole surviving UK bike manufacturer can do.
And it looks like someone has become confused as to what an Pedelec is as this one is alleged to use pedalling to charge a battery which can then be used to help you uphill.
What on earth is the point of that?
You still have basically a push bike with a darned great dynamo to manually power for a bit of help uphill?
Timid Tim has been well and truly had with that daft idea (if that is what they are doing and it isn't a journalistic error)
Most likely this is a misunderstanding about Regenerative Braking.
Someone has been leading them up the garden path if they are paying good money for a stupid idea like that!
I put my "Two pennorth" is as two separate comments
"
The new bikes employ pedelec technology, which stores energy from pedalling and releases it when the rider reaches a hill. The Brompton system has been developed in partnership with Formula One team Williams and is a slimmed down version of the Kers (kinetic energy recovery system) technology that racing cars use to gain extra speed.

This is a completely WRONG description of what Pedelec Technology is.

It is a system that senses that the rider if pedalling and applys proportional motor power to the road wheel (or wheels) to assist in propelling them once the pedals are turned.

No one in their right mind wants to pedal a bike to charge a battery with a darned great dynamo just for a bit of help uphill.

That would simply be stupid, so one can only assume whoever wrote that paragraph misunderstood the information they have been given.

Can we have a really correct article on how this "New System" really works please?"

And also

"I bought a Brompton in 2004 and had it converted to Electric this year, I simply cannot understand why Brompton have wasted so long in making a simple design change which should have taken only a month or so to develop, and like many others I got fed up of waiting.

If and I mean IF Brompton ever do get one into production I shall certainly consider one, but really it is too little and too late already.

They would do well to contact people like myself who already own their own Brompton E bikes to take advantage of their experiences rather than rely on so called expert designers who have no experience of using one, or know the advantages and drawbacks in real world use."
The shareholders should be looking for a new Management team with a lot more Go in them or this company will go the way of all the others, and for the same reason.
Incompetent, weak and short termist management.
 
Last edited:
  • Agree
Reactions: flecc

oldgroaner

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 15, 2015
23,457
32,608
79
You could take a look at these guys who I met recently. They are expensive but very well built.
http://www.arccinnovations.com/ARCC_Innovations/Our_Bikes.html
That is certainly interesting, they must have very sophisticated energy management software to get 30 miles out of 5 Ampere Hours, as my Sparticle will do 40 miles on the flat (in Hull) on a 10 Ampere Hour 36V battery, and in very severe hilly country in the Lakes, Cornwall and Devon that drops down to about 25 miles with careful use of the Throttle (old system and throttle only) and with a considerable effort added by me it can deal will almost all hills we have encountered up to short sections (NOTE not long ones) of 25%
 

Advertisers