A revolution in riding! Archon X1 controller Arriving May 2020.

 

We are happy to announce that we are now the exclusive North American distributor of the Archon X1 controller for the Bafang Ultra drives. This completely changes the landscape for powerful mid drives, and brings the riding experience on par with the top mid drive motors in the world. 

Don't believe us ? Read on!

Where we are today - Raw power!

The Bafang Ultra is an excellent motor,  built to last for a long time. It is also easily end user serviceable. This that adds to the popularity of the motor. The current controller is very powerful and there are vendors and Bafang partners who have been able to get as much as 2500 peak watts flowing through this with no problem

The core issues we were trying to address were 3 fold

1.  There is a small delay in the assist kicking in - feels a little sudden.  You can see based on various user posts on the forum, and also some of our experience.
2. The assist ramp up isn't smooth. It also tapers off and goes in and out as you ride at higher speeds.
3. The motor is a power hungry beast. It takes a larger battery to get similar range.

How did we resolve these issues and improve ride quality?

The new Archon X1 controller option gives us near instantaneous feedback and assist. This is because we are sampling the change at nearly 9000Hz. This brings us on par with the top mid drive motor providers out there. We need the higher sampling in order to detect minute changes in pedal cadence, torque applied, and the current speed.

Higher Sampling, World Class

 

The image above illustrates how Archon X1 sampling compares to stock controller and industry standards.

 

The ramp up is now controlled by a moving towards a modulating controller as opposed to a fast switching on/off style controller. This makes the power delivery very smooth, the ramp up is very smooth.  This behavior is noticeable throughout the operation of the motor - and just blows away the feel of not just the performance of the older controller, but it crushes any competing product out there.

Instantaneous assist exactly when you need it

The image above illustrates the Archon X1 torque compared to stock controller, and higher power variants.

 

 

Whoa, we did it. But there's more!

 

As a result of moving to the new modulating controller, we were able to gain nearly 20% - as in some cases as high as 25% efficiency in the motor. So as an example, all things remaining the same, a battery pack like ours - that gives around 45miles range, can now give you up anywhere between 50-60 mile range. This is huge in terms of your daily driver / commuter use case. This increased efficiency makes it easier to do longer distance and somewhat reduces range anxiety. The same pack should last you longer.

 

 

The image above illustrates the Archon X1  assist ramp up compared to stock controller and higher power controller variants.

 

 Oh... we are not done yet!

Now that we have the efficiency out of the way. The other big thing is about extra power. Well we can now provide you with a motor that can do up to 3000W. The nominal will be 52V with 45A pack- that’s ~2300watts nominal power.  The motor  can burst up to 3000W with no issues (with a 60A burst current). The theoretical max of the motor  is much higher… of course. There is a lot of head room on the overall wattage, but at that point, it is a trade off on parts wear and tear.

 

Smooth Assist, up to 3000W

The image above illustrates the Archon X1  assist ramp up compared to stock controller and higher power controller variants.

All this goodness, coming your way in May this year! (Assuming no big disruptions to global supply chain due to the COVID-19. Hopefully you all are staying safe). 

 

Read more about what it means for our bikes!