Dorel Industries Inc. (TSX: DII.B, DII.A)

Dorel has their hands in a lot of stuff including subsidiary Pacific Cycle Inc.
http://www.pacific-cycle.com/index.php

Dorel stock info here:
http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=DII-A.TO&t=5y&l=on&z=m&q=l&c=
and
http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=DII-B.TO&t=5y&l=on&z=m&q=l&c=

...point is, this recent report from the Taipei bike show:
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=17087#p251479
"ITRI had an axial flux bike rim motor on display. my buddy saw it when he went back the next day (i missed it). we're going to try and meet up with them next week."

linked to this report here:
http://cens.com/cens/html/en/news/news_inner_31629.html

Taiwan`s ITRI Develops Super-Slim Rim Motor for E-bikes
Taipei, March 17, 2010 (CENS)--Featuring substantial weight and thickness reductions, the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) in Taiwan recently announced its successful development of a super-slim rim motor that can be used on ordinary and folding electric bicycles.

Lighter by 50% and 30% thinner, ITRI said that the newly developed rim motor is highly regarded by many bicycle makers in Taiwan.

Dr. Wu Tung-chuan, ITRI`s vice president and general director of Mechanical and Systems Research Laboratories (MSL) under ITRI, pointed out that the new rim motor is expected to be easily installed on most bikes, turning them into e-bicycles and helping local e-bike makers shorten product development period. Also consumers would have more options with the rim motor.

James Wang, deputy director general of MSL, said that the rim motor model adopts the innovative axial flux motor technique, making it owns a thinness of only one inch and weighs only two kg, but generating a two- to three-folds torque that generated by the same unit weight of traditional counterparts.

Wang added that ITRI is applying the patents for the rim motor, which can easily be installed on the side of front or rear wheel of a traditional bicycle, achieving the goals of simplifying e-bike production processes and adding new values to bike products.

Many local bicycle makers have expressed high interests in the innovative rim motor. Pacific Cycle Inc., a major maker of high-end folding bikes, said that it would more vigorously tap into the e-bike sector in the future. Pacific Cycle has cooperated with ITRI in adopting the super-slim motor on some of the company`s models for exploring possible business opportunities.

(by Quincy Liang)
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A couple of links to ITRI with hints about their efforts in this area:
http://www.itri.org.tw/eng/MSL/rese...otNodeId=02046&NodeId=0204621&ArticleNBR=1519

Hub Motor and Motor Control
The DPS motor control series is specifically designed to control the most popular types of motors, including Brushless DC Motors(BLDC), Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors(PMSM), Hub Motor, to list a few. One of the key technologies in electric vehicle development is the integration of high efficiency electrical propulsion system. Hub motor with high power density, and high torque at low speed in the light weight, small size electric vehicle.
Target
1. 3 kW high efficiency hub motor driving system research and development for electric vehicle
2. Design of 3kW high efficiency in-wheel hub motor

and here:
http://www.itri.org.tw/eng/MSL/rese...otNodeId=02046&NodeId=0204621&ArticleNBR=1515

Motor and Motor Control
One of the key technology in clean vehicle development is the integration of high efficiency electrical propulsion system. PM motor with high power density, high torque at low speed, and high efficiency is very suitable to be integrated in the light weight, small size clean vehicle.

Target
1. 18 kW high efficiency traction motor system research and development for hybrid vehicle
2. 5 kW high efficiency integrated starter generator system research and development for hybrid vehicle
3. 3 kW high efficiency brushless DC motor driving system research and development for electric scooter
4. 3 kW high efficiency in-wheel hub motor research and development
5. 1 kW motor and controller system research and development for electrical assistance system

Technologies
1. Full range operation motor design
(1) Electrical and magnetic circuit analysis: performance, efficiency, cogging torque, torque ripple
(2) High speed rotor design
(3) Thin type design
(4) Heat dissipation mechanism design for stator


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I know EVerybuddy on ES is lovin'the ebike thing... But when I read stuff like from Germany how bike sales were down 12% 2009 over 2008 but EBIKE sales were UP 36%... just blows me out of the water...

I'm thinkin' Dorel aka Pacific Cycle are on to a good thing with ITRI

Cheers
Lock

*BUMP*

More on the STOBA battery tech and the ITRI hub motor, from here:
http://www.bike-eu.com/news/4813/ta...ment-of-new-battery-technology-hub-motor.html

At ITRI some 60 engineers are devoted to the development of new battery technologies. Their first major accomplishment is STOBA. This stands for Self-Terminated Oligomer with Branded Architecture. Simply put, it is a new polymer developed by ITRI that effectively prevents lithium batteries from exploding when damaged, as has occurred in several high-profile cases in recent years. Those incidents took place with laptop computers, where lithium batteries are commonly used. Nowadays, they’re also found in higher priced and better quality e-bikes. And with iPhones, iPads, and tablet computer sales soaring; all of which are all fitted with lithium batteries, it’s clear that the STOBA technology is very valuable.

Another major accomplishment by ITRI is the development of a super-slim hub motor. According to the research institute it is 50% lighter and 70% thinner. As well, the new motor produces two to three times the torque generated by traditional units of the same weight, with comparable production costs.

The new motor features Axial Variable flux technology. This technology is based on the principles of electro-magnetism and permanent magnetism, which not only contributes to the motor’s power but also to the motor speed control.

More on STOBA and the Axial Variable flux technology is in Bike Europe February edition which will arrive this week at its international readership.

Click to expand...

Found this from last September, here:
http://www.cens.com/cens/html/en/news/news_inner_31629.html




LocK

The motor looks promising. That's an interesting front end in the picture, I didn't see any reference to it in the links.

Can't tell if this is it or not, but on Sept.21, 2010 the Taiwan Patents Office issued two patents numbers M389394 and M389395 to JIANG, RUI-LI and CAI, MING-XIAO both from Taiwan:




...just can't read the text. :?

But their motor looks skinny-ish
LocK