First Look: Bosch Electric Bike 2018 eBike Innovations

We take a look at what’s to come for Bosch electric bikes in 2018. Some new eBike innovations and fresh system updates due for early 2018. Keep reading to learn more.

Bosch stays ahead of the game year on year by listening to their ever growing customer base, innovating new systems and ideas. Many of the Bosch eBike software advancements are backwards compatible. Good news for current Bosch electric bike owners.

Let’s take an early look at what’s to come for Bosch eBikes in 2018:

Bosch Active Line 2018

The Bosch Active Line was designed for riders seeking comfort whilst touring, commuting and leisure riding. It’s specifically developed to offer a smooth power delivery, for city and country areas alike.

For 2018 the Bosch Active Line gets re-worked, with a new motor designed to deliver moderately dosed support for riders. The new motor design has reduced the overall size by 25% by going back to a big sprocket externally compared to being internally geared.

This allows less resistance and brings the size of the unit down for better integration. The weight has seen a reduction too, weighing in at just 2.9kg. By moderating the power, electric bike battery ranges are also increased further.

Bosch Active Line Plus 2018

As well as the new Active Line version, Bosch has also created a sportier version – The Active Line Plus for 2018. This agile drive system offers more punch than the standard Active 2018 setup, with torque up to 50Nm and weight in at just a little over 3kg.

A best in class system for leisure and sportier riding, the Active Line Plus improves handling due to its reduced weight and size. The motor noise and resistance are also significantly reduced too, due to the new gearing set-up.

New eMTB Mode For Performance CX

The Bosch Performance CX system still remains the market leader in the eMTB category, the perfect balance of torque and assistance for more sportier Mountain Bike riders.

With assistance up to 300% and 80Nm of torque, the Performance CX can dominate any hill in any conditions. New for 2018 is an eMTB mode, which replaces the current Sport mode, switching between Tour and Turbo depending on the terrain you are riding.

The Bosch system detects which mode will support you best and alternates giving less fuss to the rider and more time looking at the trails!

This mode will come on 2018 eBikes equipped with the Performance CX motor.

It will be available as an update from your Bosch eBike dealer for all current CX users of 2016 and 2017 models. This update should be available from the end of July.

Bosch PowerTube 500 2018 Battery

For the first time, Bosch announces the PowerTube 500. This sleek 500Wh battery allows bike manufacturers to integrate the tube shape battery into electric bike frames. Until now most batteries fit externally. This new PowerTube battery for 2018 can be mounted horizontally or vertically, combining modern design with high quality Bosch technology.

For 2018 a clean and seamless look can be provided, still allowing the user to drop the battery out for charging if required. When unlocked the battery can pop out of the frame. A safety catch prevents the battery from falling out if not properly locked in.

By mounting within the frame, the internal battery is also fully protected from knocks and the elements.

Bosch eBike ABS 2018 Support

Bosch brings further safety to electric bikes with a launch of Anti-Lock Brake Systems (ABS), enabling controlled and stable braking under even severe conditions. More suited to city and trekking electric bikes, this ABS system has 2 specific tasks:

ABS For The Front Wheel

Wheel speed sensors monitor speeds of both front and rear wheels. If the system anticipates locking of the front wheel the front brake pressure can be regulated under harsh braking, stabilising the bike to a controlled stop, increasing overall stopping power, control and safety.

Rear Wheel Lift Control

The Bosch eBike ABS system will intelligently control rear wheel lift. This significantly reduces the possibility of the rear wheel lifting under heavy braking when braking on the front is applied forcefully.

Overall this allows much more efficient use of the front brake where tests have shown over 70% of your stopping power comes from.

Although we are announcing it now, this update will likely be tested on particular bikes in 2018 with an official launch onto production bikes for 2019.

It’ll be limited to the standard Performance line in combination with the Intuvia display on city and trekking bikes. Further development of brake technologies will come from world renowned brake suppliers Magura.

Other Updates For 2018

As the Bosch eBike system is so adaptable and also fully updateable we also see a host of other stability and performance updates for the system itself.

With the addition of eShift, a clever setup that allows integration of hub gears from manufacturers like Shimano, NuVinci and new for 2018 – Rohloff hubs too.

Bosch eShift is available for Bosch Performance CX, Performance Line, and the newer Active line / Active Line Plus motors too. For 2018 eShift may also be available for derailleur gears from Shimano specifically for electronic shifting on eMTB’s too.

Other updates include revised Bosch Nyon features and user interfaces. From new maps to route planning features, Bosch has updated Nyon to be more user-friendly. Neat options like altimeter previews and battery usage come too with future updates.