In a statement that's sure to stir a bit of conversation among America's cycling community, Friends of Big Bend Ranch State Park wrote "E-bikes may sound like a good idea
Regen isn’t on all the time, but the regen gearing causes very high drag. It’s a side effect of how the motor is designed. In order to cruise as if it could freewheel with no drag, the motor controller has to feed it a low amount of power when not pedalling. About 20W-30W depending on the speed.
But the motor is also much larger than most e-bike motors (1200W continuous with a much higher peak) - additionally the battery is double the size of most e-bike batteries (also ~1200W/hr).
So in addition to the drag - lots of extra weight.
Regen isn’t on all the time, but the regen gearing causes very high drag. It’s a side effect of how the motor is designed. In order to cruise as if it could freewheel with no drag, the motor controller has to feed it a low amount of power when not pedalling. About 20W-30W depending on the speed.
But the motor is also much larger than most e-bike motors (1200W continuous with a much higher peak) - additionally the battery is double the size of most e-bike batteries (also ~1200W/hr).
So in addition to the drag - lots of extra weight.
Oh I see, is that a permanent magnet motor that’s ultimately responsible for the drag?