Mahle Targets Micro-Mobility with new e-Bike Powertrain

Paul Myles

TU-Editor

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20th May 2022

Mahle has begun series production of its new e-bikes electric motor aimed at the growing demand for urban micro-mobility.

Production of its X20 traction motor is underway at its site in Šempeter pri Gorici in Slovenia. Around 20 employees are currently producing the new drive on the assembly line commissioned just this year.

The first deliveries to customers have already been made. The X20 is expected to secure sales growth in the mid double-digit million range for the site in the coming years.  With a system weight of less than 3.2kgs (7lbs), including battery and control unit, it claims to be the lightest e-bike drive available on the market. The new product was developed by Mahle Smartbike Systems in Palencia/Spain.

The X20 drive system is tailored to the design of gravel bikes, road bikes and urban e-bikes. The hub motor delivers 17ft-lbs of torque directly to the wheel, a power output comparable with that of a mid-drive motor with 40ft-lbs of torque. Equipped with a sensor package that measures acceleration, speed, torque, temperature and pedaling rate, the system also uses artificial intelligence to continuously adapt the drive to the person in the saddle.

Dr Armin Messerer, vice-president mechatronics and the E-Bike Drive Systems division at Mahle, said: “With our X20 drive system, which can be installed virtually invisibly in the frame and hub, we are offering our customers a top-class product that sets a new benchmark in terms of power-to-weight ratio.”

— Paul Myles is a seasoned automotive journalist based in Europe. Follow him on Twitter @Paulmyles_