Brose - the German automotive parts company that also makes e-bike mid-drives known for their quiet, belt-geared operation - has announced a major shakeup for their mid-motor range for 2024 and beyond. The move from their current 36V based approach to using 48V will be spearheaded by a lightweight yet powerful new mid-drive, the Brose Drive³ Peak.
UK readers may know Brose motors for their appearance on some Specialized models. Brose have also said they are working on a prototype that integrates both 'stepless' bike gearing and motor in a single mid-drive unit. We recently reported on Pinion's MGU unit that integrated traditional 'stepped' bike gears with a mid-drive motor.
The new flagship Brose Drive³ Peak mid-drive looks to be a replacement for the current top of the line 36V Brose Drive S Mag (Mag standing for magnesium which is used to make the lightweight motor casing). This has already got a good reputation for delivering smooth, quiet power and the Drive³ Peak wants to up performance even more with a touch of extra torque from a unit that retains a similar size and weight. We recently rated the S Mag the best e-MTB mid-drive in our roundup of the best electric bike motors.
The new Brose Drive³ Peak mid-drive will be accompanied by Brose's own range of frame-integrated but removable batteries of 468Wh and 814Wh capacities with relative weights of 3kg and 4.1kg. Note these are not retrofittable to older 36V Brose motor systems. Brose have also hinted that third party battery manufacturers may be able to supply their own battery solutions to e-bike manufacturers using the new drive system.
The new Brose Drive system will get own-brand displays and remotes. The Control Allround is a combination of a display and a remote with a 1.9″ colour screen that includes an ambient light sensor, Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity and a USB-C charging port at the back. Brose will also be offering a minimalist Control Remote plus a top-tube integrateable display (Control Integrate) for the new 48V system.
Brose say they are also going to improve their sustainability cred by introducing a remanufacturing process for old e-bike drives, known as Reman Drive (Reman = remanufactured). In essence it sounds lie they will be introducing a refurbishing service.
The company also stresses how, "Brose consistently focuses on achieving the smallest CO2 footprint possible early on – when selecting processes and materials. It’s also why Brose continues to manufacture most of its products in Germany. In total, 89 percent of all parts are made in the EU, and 78 percent of these originate in Germany."
Why 48V?
The new flagship Brose Drive³ Peak will be just one mid-drive in the new 2024+ range of the straightforwardly-named Brose Drive System. All of the system motors and batteries will operate on 48V - a notable deviation from the common mid-drive standard of 36V.
With the likes of Bosch, Shimano and Yamaha all having some of the most powerful and effective mid-drives on the market and all operating at 36V, this suggests Brose are not doing this just to get more power out of their e-bike drives. After all, many early e-bikes operated at 24V or even 12V and were pretty effective. Meanwhile, Yamaha have recently revealed their newest and most power dense motor yet, the PW-XM which again operates at 36V.
Having said that, if Brose saw a future in faster, heavier e-bikes and very large cargo carriers then 48V might make sense. This higher voltage minimises resistive loss of energy in the wires and allows higher currents and greater power delivery.
Interestingly though, some smaller motor systems - for example Fazua's lightweight Ride 60 mid-drive, also operate on 48V. Fazua are now owned by Porsche who, like Brose, have an obvious connection to the automotive industry. 48V is a common standard in automotive electronics, so it just may be that those with strong links in this area can smooth out supply chain difficulties and get access to competitively priced components.
Of course this is all speculation - but it's certain that Brose sees clear future advantages at 48V or they wouldn't go to the trouble of introducing a whole new platform (and a new communication protocol in the form of CANopen) that is not compatible with their older 36V systems.
All of this isn't to say Brose is totally abandoning 36V - their recently announced Brose Drive HMag is a powerful mid-drive aimed specifically at cargo bikes that are rated up to a maximum load of 250 kilograms.
Will the steplessly geared Concept motor become reality?
Eurobike 2023 also saw Brose tease a new 'Concept Drive' mid-drive which promises to integrate a stepless gear system - think Enviolo rear hub gear systems as used on a number of current e-bikes with mid-drives - into the mid-drive itself. Claimed range is 420% - well shy of the 600% offered by the new Pinion MGU E1.12. Maximum torque is 60 Nm but it will also operate on the new 48V Brose standard.
Whilst Brose are remaining tight lipped about if and when the Concept will appear on production e-bikes, 2024 will still be a big year for them with roll out of the new Brose Drive³ Peak mid-drive which seems highly likely to make an appearance on high end e-mtbs.
