EBay seller claims to have hub motor w/Nuvinci type gearing

[Russell]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270980422365&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123

It sure looks like my Bafang BPM so I wrote him disputing his claims and he wrote back;

"Have you seen the inside of our motors ? How do you know that? We do not use fixed reduction gearing we use continuously variable gearing that expands to different sizes as needed by the motor in order to keep the motor always at the same RPM regardless of what speed the bike is actually going. This increases the efficiency of the motor by about 35% over a simple fixed ratio reduction system. I designed the motor and I have taught motor technology at the graduate level for over 10 years. You would have to look inside the motor to understand this system. Thanks, Dr. Ross"

Has 8FUN (Bafang) developed a new motor with variable gearing???

-R

[biohazardman]

Wow sounds like quite a deal for the dollar! I think someone should buy one so we can see what is inside.

[Hillhater]

If his recommended 35 A controller is up to par, you effectively have a 1700W variable geared hub !
Even at the suggested 27 A its still 1.3 kW.
We certainly need to understand if this hub is as described and reliable.

where is super sleuth Miles when you need him ..?

[cassschr1]

Brighton mich ,This is close to Thud and Kfong I think.

[amberwolf]

I've written to Fallbrook to see if they have licensed the technology (or the use of their product name for advertising comparisons/etc.), and also wrote to the ebay seller asking for details of the operation of the device as well as internal photos.

I don't expect either to answer, but of the two Fallbrook is more likely to.

Note the seller's other auction says their controller and stuff is made in the USA (I'm not aware of any 8FUN stuff that isn't made in China):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/8FUN-700-watt-4 ... 0980427009
and despite being an auction for controller and accessores to *go with* a motr, and not containing a motor itself, it shows no picture of anything EXCEPT a motor (the identical picture except for cropping/zoom to the one in the other auction, which is an 8FUN).

[Hillhater]

Not holding my breath on that AW !.
It would be quicker for an ES member to buy one and review/report for us.
Maybe we need an ES "Research fund" for this ( and new battery's ),.. kind of issues

[whatever]

buy directly from bafang will be much cheaper

[liveforphysics]

Hmm... I smell BS. Seems like something you could buy, take apart, and file an eBay claim for product not as describedif it doesn't have a CVT in it.

[GrayKard]

buy directly from bafang will be much cheaper

I looked on Bafang's website and they don't have a cvt hub motor listed...

[Hillhater]

Just to clarify, he isnt just claiming to have variable gearing...but that it is AUTOMATICALLY variable to keep the motor at a constant rpm.
If true (unlikely) ... that would be one huge leap forward for hub drive motors.

[Thud]

I asked a question thru the e-bay link if the shifting is automatic & if so, is it user programable for conditions.

I sure don't see any of the shifting mechanism like on most fallbrook hubs.....but then again, I don't put a lot of faith in ebay photo's

Sounds like BS.....in the photo's it looks like BS.....but I will reserve judgment untill I get a whiff.

Brighton used to have a really nice motocross track. (Iron mustang's MC) theres a wall mart on that property now
2-hours east of me....prolly closer to Kfong.

[neptronix]

He also sells a 93% efficient 700 watt geared hub motor as well, which also looks like an 8FUN.

No hub motor is that efficient, cept maybe John in CR's hub..

[John in CR]

I hope it's real and works as claimed with real durability. Then they just need to come out with one that has a truly useful amount of power, and in the meantime mass produce this one and get the wholesale price well below $100 like all the Bafangs.

Maybe the motor inside runs at 92% peak efficiency, but there's simply no way it has that efficiency as a whole, because the NuVinci has a minimum loss at the optimum gearing of about 10%. Even so it would still have far better overall efficiency than our hubbies in real world use.

John

[dnmun]

someone should report him to ebay for fraud before someone ends up paying a fortune for a $90 bafang motor by accident.

[dogman]

Hogwash I bet. The ebay seller knows nothing, and is claiming what he thinks it does.

[nicobie]

someone should report him to ebay for fraud before someone ends up paying a fortune for a $90 bafang motor by accident.

I think so too.

[liveforphysics]

I sent him a message that says I believe he is mistaken in his description, that motor just has fixed ratio planetary gearing inside, and told him if he can pull a side cover and show any type of a CVT inside there, I will buy-it-now immediately.

We will see what he says to that.

[dogman]

Yeah, if it's legit, PM me so I can buy one too before the stampede starts. He just misunderstands what a gearmotor is.

[pdf]

He is clearly full of it. I sent the following message:

"Please confirm the statement that the motor contains a continuously variable Nuvinci drive mechanism built into an 8Fun hub motor. Also, I note that you are in Brighton, MI. I would love to come by and see your motors. I will be in the area next week and could meet you anywhere that would be convenient."

[icecube57]

At this point with all this talk Im willing to jump in and buy it... crack it open and get a prompt paypal refund...
Exercise my duty as an American

[liveforphysics]

This is his response to me:

"We are an American manufacturer based in Michigan and yes we do buy the motor casing from a company called 8FUN that operates all over the globe. This motor is made in Michigan USA and does not function at all like any 8FUN motor. The cost to get the case made in the USA would have been $90 and we get this case from them for $20. But even the casing does not really look like any 8FUN casing because this one is about 20% wider than any case they ever used. On the other side of the motor it says Velocity and I will try to get you a picture of the inside. The bottom line is it does perform better than any other motor on the USA market: 93% efficiency (no heat created) the motor does run at one steady RPM rate regardless of the speed of the bike and on one battery charge it will travel about 50% further per charge than any other 600 watt motor in the USA. We have already sold more than 3000 of these motors to Velocity E bikes and Motobecane e-bikes. Lots of experts already know about this motor because it was at interbike show in Las Vegas. Thanks, Dr. Ross"

[John in CR]

All the doubting Thomas's. It sounds legit to me. My question is when does the 7-10kw version come out?

[ohzee]

damn if this is true how did this get on the scene without us noticing sooner ?
Love to see those pictures of the inside.

[John in CR]

damn if this is true how did this get on the scene without us noticing sooner ?
Love to see those pictures of the inside.

Because it doesn't come under the craptastic names 9C or Xlyte.

[Thud]

reply to my question:

Dear (my e-bay name),
Yes, the whole idea behind this type of variable gearing is that the motor can keep at one steady RPM rate for efficiency while the gearing changes as you accelerate. Right now there is no need to allow the rider to control this because the bike also has its normal bike gears that are controlled by the rider. There are 2 reasons to have these variable gears in the motor 1. 30% better efficiency (range) and 2. Much better hill climbing ability without using much power. Thanks, Dr. Ross- apar9518

definatly is happy to claim bige efficancy #s......I guess I should ask to see the guts?