Swytch Technology, manufacturers of perhaps the best-known e-bike conversion kit, are updating their product with a new “pocket sized” battery.
We last reviewed the Swytch e-bike conversion kit in 2020 and you can see from the photos that the previous battery – which we mounted on the handlebars – was a chunky little thing, roughly the size of a bike bag.
The new version is significantly smaller; about the same size as a large smartphone (212mm x 100mm x 25mm).
This reduction in size provides a weight saving too – down from 2kg for the previous battery to just 700g for the new one.
The old version was available with a capacity of either 180Wh or 250Wh, but the new version will be under 100Wh so as to be considered flight safe (the exact capacity will be announced at the official public launch next month).
A slightly larger battery, weighing 1.1kg and offering 30km range (similar to the current kit) will also be available. At 228mm x 100mm x 36mm, this too will be significantly smaller than its predecessors.
No new product announcement would be complete without the promise of industry disruption and Swytch CTO Dmitro Khroma duly obliged.
“Our new improved Swytch kit is a game-changer,” he said. “It is going to totally disrupt the e-bike industry because it is so much lighter, smaller and more affordable than anything else out there.”
CEO Oliver Montague added: “Our job as innovators is to make environmentally-friendly technology that people want to use because it is cool. That way, a global change to a more sustainable way of life will happen naturally.”
Swytch’s business model involves waiting until they have enough customer orders before each round of manufacturing. It’s a low risk strategy for them and it keeps costs down, but it can mean several months’ wait.
Swytch will be taking orders for the new conversion kit following the official public launch next month. No word on how much it’ll cost yet. The current version is available from £529.
