Twike 5: Start of production postponed to mid-2022

by

Article menu

The electric drive for the electrified recumbent bike comes from Vitesco (formerly Continental Powertrain)

Twike 5: Start of production postponed to mid-2022-production

Series production of the Twike 5 postponed: the three-wheeled electric vehicle that was supposed to start in 2021, will only be produced in small series from mid-2022.

According to the current state of development, the electrified recumbent bike will sprint to 100 km / h in 3.8 seconds and reach a top speed of 190 km / h.

Above all, however, the Twike 5 is characterized by its high efficiency. The WLTP power consumption is said to be only 6.9 kWh / 100 km. This enables ranges of more than 400 kilometers – on the Twike website there is even talk of over 500 km. This relates to the largest battery offered (30 kWh).

The electric drive for the unusual vehicle comes from Vitesco. The supplier operated as the drive division of Continental until 2019. A system called EMR3 is used in the Twike 5. The third generation of the EMR (Electronics Motor Reducer) combines a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PSM), power electronics (inverter) and a reduction gear (reducer). The system mobilizes 150 kW and up to 2,900 Nm torque.

Photo gallery: Twike 5 (as of 2021)

Twike 5: Start of production postponed to mid-2022-twike

Twike 5: Start of production postponed to mid-2022-mid-2022 Twike 5: Start of production postponed to mid-2022-postponed

In the Twike 5, however, the full power of the drive is apparently not used. The vehicle should only get 70 kW of power and 1,800 Nm of torque on the drive axle. The advantages of the drive include its low weight and small size: It weighs only 76 kilograms and its dimensions (40x35x55 cm) are hardly larger than an aircraft board case.

With its use in the Twike 5, the drive is being used for the first time outside of the passenger car sector. The EMR3 system has so far been used in over 20 car models from European and Asian manufacturers, according to Vitesco Technologies.

"In addition to the performance, the efficiency was also of central importance to us," says Twike boss Martin Moescheid. "The EMR3 is highly efficient in all load ranges, so that we can achieve very low consumption values. In addition, this drive unit is particularly light, extremely robust and easy to adapt. The fact that high-quality series production is already in progress was a key factor in our decision contributed. "

Apparently, Twike has not yet made a decision on the batteries. The limited availability does not seem to make the selection any easier. Apparently they are considering converting to a "robust, but smaller in capacity battery cell," as the company writes. Possibly LFP cells are meant. In any case, the foreseeable lower storage capacity is also the reason for increased fine-tuning in terms of aerodynamics: The goal is a drag coefficient of 0.21, which could reduce power consumption to 6.5 kWh / 100 km.

The Twike – a "suitcase word" made up of twin and bike – goes back to students at ETH Zurich who developed the first prototype of the closed recumbent bike in 1986. The pedals are still on board today. While the electric drive is mechanically supported in the previous model Twike 3, the pedal force in the Twike 5 is used to generate electricity for the electric motor.

More about Twike and another small electric vehicle: Twike 5: Start of production postponed to mid-2022-postponed Twike 5: Looking for money from private investors – at five percent interest

Twike 5: Start of production postponed to mid-2022-start Vassla Bike: Between e-bikes, kick scooters and e-scooters

Photo gallery: Twike 5 (as of 2020)

Twike 5: Start of production postponed to mid-2022-twike

Related articles

Related articles

Please follow and like us:
error
fb-share-icon
Tweet
fb-share-icon

Leave a Comment