A lot of standard e-bikes on the market operate at the 250W configuration, even in places where it’s legal to have a more powerful motor. And in those other places, more powerful configurations mean more speed, but without the torque to truly make it powerful enough to climb steep hills, for instance.
Inventor Matteo and his brother Luca Spaggiari were challenged to create a motor that could push the limit in terms of the hills it could climb and loads it could tow. Together, they created the BEST e-bike conversion kit. The name isn’t just for show: their design has been recognized by companies like Ford and Edison for being an extremely small yet generating the kind of torque it does. The secret lies within how its brushless motor sports a 10:1 ratio, allowing for a constant, high-level of torque across a wide range of speeds. This means that no matter if backers choose the BEST’s 250W, 500W, 749W, or 999W option, the type of power it generates will be the same.
All together, the BEST e-bike conversion kit gives most bikes a max speed of 30mph and a range of 35 to 60 miles. A companion smartphone app allows users to change between different motor presets and even get into the nitty gritty of the motor’s setting for the perfect set-up depending on each rider. About $1,240 gets interested backers a 250W BEST kit, with prices steadily climbing for each subsequent version. All are slated to be delivered by November 2016 should the BEST Kickstarter campaign raise about $56,700 by July 20th, 2016.
With a range of recognition and awards from companies and organizations around the world, it seems like the BEST e-bike conversion really is the best at what it does. The focus on torque generation makes it far more powerful than most other e-bike conversion kits on the market. Of course, this kind of utility comes at a premium but just like every good idea, it won’t be long before others like BEST pop up on crowdfunding sites.