Maximum power, type approval, banning e-bikes from trails. It’s the hot topic at the moment, and rightly so. Imagine not being able to take your eeb to the bike park? Or having to apply for registration, insurance, and maybe even get an MoT certificate every year.

And this potential legislation surrounding e-bike motors isn’t just worrying consumers. It’s worrying big names like Bosch, one of the biggest e-bike motor and battery manufacturers in the world. Claus Fleischer, Bosch eBike Systems CEO spoke to MBR about what the German brand thinks the impact of power regulations and type approval could have on, not only Bosch, but the wider mountain bike industry as well.

The new Bosch CX-R motor tops out at 100Nm and 750W of peak power

Getting ahead of any proposed e-bike legislation

I’ve just sat down after a day of testing the new Bosch CX power update and the CX-R motor. It’s a warm, calm evening in Italy. Fleischer approaches with his PR team after a mammoth set of interviews with other media, but still looking eager to discuss the important topic of e-bike regulation.

Numerous parameters can be customised via the Bosch Flow app.

I won’t go into detail about what is exactly being proposed, largely because we’ve already covered that in this news story, as well as DJI’s response to the recommendations, but also because it remains speculative at this time. Nobody knows if/when anything will come into force, and how that might impact not only brands, but customers, too.

Bosch has serious clout in the market, but doesn’t like to rush when it comes to development.

“It’s not about Bosch,” Fleischer added. “It’s not about any brand. It’s an industry aspect where we have to come up with one framework that we agree on before we get asked about what it should look like. The discussion right now is a little bit emotional, a little bit hysterical, fuelled through social media.

Bosch Performance CX Race motor gen 5 being blasted through its paces on a Mondraker Crafty in Sintra, Portugal.

“And it’s difficult, because a commission typically listens to a voice of the industry to get a recommendation. But at the moment, we’re all speaking very loudly and very differently. And the danger is that the commission will close the door, and say the MTB industry has no common opinion on what is right, what is wrong. And then over-regulation could occur.”

The latest Bosch Performance CX motor is one of the most popular systems on the market, but it’s not as desirable amongst the performance-conscious customer compared to upstart DJI with its Avinox.

In this sense, over-regulation could be something like Type Approval, which we already have with things like S-Pedelecs. An e-bike could become its own category of motorised vehicle, for example. And with that would come requirements like MoT certificates, mandatory insurance and potential trail bans.

“What people do not understand is that it’s a business model,” Fleischer continued. “The legislation is fuelled with the potential of over-regulation, and fuelled from other lobbyists saying things like, ’20 million e-bikes and pedal assist bicycles in the European market having no insurance – that’s a business model, so let’s make sure they all require insurance.’

“That’s a business model from people that we don’t even know, that are doing lobby work behind our back. And that’s the danger.”

The power update from Bosch that will be available to users in the summer tops up the Gen 5 CX motors to 100Nm

Do we need legislation? Why do we need more when there are already rules over speed?

I questioned whether or not Bosch as a company thinks the e-bike industry needs more regulation, particularly when there are rules already in place over maximum assistance speed, and the requirement for motors to only engage when the rider pedals.

“Because the legislation right now has too many loopholes,” added Fleischer. “And if you have too many loopholes, then there will be manufacturers who try to use a loophole in a way that fulfils customer expectations.”

We won’t hazard a guess at which manufacturers those might be, but it’s an interesting point. It’s not just about having a competitive product and gaining market share – particularly when there’s the potential for public safety to be at risk from people misusing the products, as Fleischer explained.

Claus Fischer, CEO of Bosch eBike Systems shares concerns about the industry not working together and creating a unified voice on e-bikes

“If you leave it to an end consumer, it’s not a good idea. They will say that’s not their responsibility. And with a scaling effect, it becomes a social issue with safety and potential conflicts and dangerous situations on the trails.

“I do understand that we’re discussing this right now in the e-mountain bike aspect, where everyone believes that ‘I’m such a good mountain biker, I can control that power.’

Claus Fleischer reveals details of the power update to the gen 5 CX motor at the press launch in Riva, Italy.

“But it’s not about all the excellent mountain bikers in that bubble. These products will be also made available for transportation, urban commuting in a public environment, or mixing with traffic on the road, on the bike path. And also bike rental, vacation resorts handing out electric bicycles to customers who are overwhelmed by Nm and power.”

“And that’s the danger that we foresee. It’s not about restricting those highly talented skills for mountain bikers, those heroes, they can control it. But the concern is that we have safety issues in another aspect, and total regulation is for everyone. So that’s the connection we make.”

Offerings like Race mode could be too powerful for many amateurs – but should peak power be regulated for the masses?

Would power regulations mean the end of innovation for eebs?

Bosch isn’t an ignorant company. It knows that brands like DJI bringing out 100Nm+ motors (and more with power updates) will mean customers, including at the bike manufacturer level, will want to see some innovation in its products elsewhere. If Bosch can’t, or doesn’t want to increase the motor power and torque, then it’ll have to innovate in different ways. And Fleischer backed this up, having had a similar discussion with industry leaders recently.

“If there are limits, then there are limits. Within the limits, we will be innovative on weight, on size, on efficiency, on thermal stability. On design aspects of software, controls, user experience, you name it.

When asked if he thought they even needed more power than the new generation of Bosch motors is providing, Fleischer was pragmatic in his answer, understanding that not all consumers are the same, and not everyone wants the same product.

E-bikes like the DJI Avinox with more power and torque than a Bosch bike could be limited under potential legislation

“Everything in life comes with a trade-off. You maximize here, you have an effect there, so, there is no free lunch. Cranking up power means more consumption and shortens your range, or you need a bigger battery. And cranking up the Nm is more wear and tear on the drivetrain.

“Until a year or two ago, I would have said that we are happy with 85Nm and a 600 watt maximum. Look at the market data, in Europe from the past 10 years, there were 20 million electric bicycles sold all over Europe. And not one dealer in Europe sold one bike less because it didn’t have enough power or Nm.”

The Santa Cruz Bullit is one of a bounty of new bikes powered by the Bosch CX motor.

It’s an interesting thought, that many people aren’t missing out on the extra power. It’s a bit like buying a car. The majority of the market want and can afford something that doesn’t do 0-60mph in 2.3 seconds. They look for dependability, fuel efficiency (or battery range) over top-end speed and torque. That’s why people buy a Nissan Qashqai over a Bugatti Veyron – because they don’t need the extras, and they also don’t know what they’re missing.

If things like power are legislated, innovation will move towards other things like motor efficiency, compactness etc, according to Bosch.

75% of Bosch users ride with 200% assistance or less

And it’s not just Bosch picking numbers out of thin air to defend itself from critics demanding more power. From its own data, it suggests that 75% of Bosch users ride using 200% of assistance or less, and 85% use 300% or less. Now that may be across all of Bosch’s offerings, so could include e-cargo bikes, urban bikes and the like, so it could be less relevant for e-mountain bikers. Although equally you could argue that a mountain bike enthusiast has more fitness and uses less support than a recreational rider or someone riding a heavy cargo bike.

Bosch is trying to safeguard the future of e-mountain biking.

But the reality is, not everyone whacks their e-bike in Turbo mode and wants to stretch every ounce of power at every given moment.

“If you look at our data, the average consumer is more cautious about battery consumption and their range rather than just always using peak power. There’s a fraction of highly talented e-mountain bikers who cannot get enough. But it’s just not suitable for the general market.

“We are talking about a marketing bubble right now. There is not one bike not being sold because of a lack of power. This is an artificial craziness of society.”