SPOKES' positive thoughts on Regenerative braking and E- bikes.

SPOKES' thoughts on Regenerative braking and E- bikes.

I was told by a vendor trying to sell me a 4k ebike that re-gen is not worth it on an ebike. Regenerative braking is available in almost all cars but the e- bike world has forgone including it as a standard.

The bottom line is Regenerative braking works and can be very efficient unless you are a lazy consumer that just wants power.

It works in the same way as gas milage. The user has to be conscious of how it best works and apply it to varied conditions in a way that makes sense. For most consumers this it too much work because they purchased an e bike to do the work . But for those users that purchased the ebike to extend their range, to give their mobility more utilitarian use or to offset the energy they put our commuting to dedicate to working it can be a great way to save energy and money while enjoying the full power and range of e- biking.

Copenhagen wheel and BionX have offered re-gen Braking or assistive braking that is very efficient.

On a 1500' elevation climb, I can exhaust a full battery over a 15-mile distance and get a full charge down the other side.

Real world example: Mill Valley to the top of Mount Tam then recharging down to Stinson Beach. Then climb back up to the peak out of Stinson beach with no charge at the top and back to the full battery at the base in Mill Valley.

Bionx allows you to adjust the amount of regen you want when you dial the power into negative 1-5 on the control. Copenhagen wheel uses accelerometers and customization from the smartphone app along with user input from backpedaling that gives you variable regenerative resistance and assists braking while charging.

I have also used a third of the battery up to the top of twin peaks in SF and re-gen a full battery down to the panhandle in GG park with BIONX.

Another practical application is a long ride on the Bay Trail in the headwind where I exhausted my battery than a mile of riding while in regen setting 2 (of 5) gets me up the 100-foot elevation hill at Golden Gate Fields Racetrack.

I have a customer that goes to the Botanic Gardens (Berkeley) with her Copenhagen wheel and gardens in the Albany hills and she swears by her re-gen. She says that riding downhill pedaling at 20 mph in re-gen recharges her Copenhagen wheel twice as fast and gives her a full battery for the rest of her day (or the next day ) after tending to her garden clients. She says her Superpedestrian Copenhagen wheel has paid for itself in the first month because she has gotten two new gardening