HI guys,
Recently I've been asked by my good friend whether I'd like to join his start up company, which has developed new electric motor technology. What they have right now is aircooled 8.4 lbs motor, with 80 Nm peak torque and 19 kW peak power at 48V (if I recall the voltage correctly). The efficiency curve is essentially flat, over 88-90% almost across the entire range of operation. They think to finish the tests in the near future, and may start selling it as a beta prototype with target retail price of $1990 or close to it, with 6-12 months warranty. These guys are EV enthusiasts and want to make this technology available to other enthusiasts even before they offer it to businesses.
I am not sure whether this venture will work out: I see too much of competition and not very sure whether there is a big market even for the first beta prototype.
Any opinions? How many of you would spend money to buy such motor? Does anybody know how big is potential market for such motor? I have a feeling like they should have made a smaller motor for bicycles rather than this sucker, but again, I am not sure. Is motor performance important for you? Would you prefer cheaper Etek over such pricier performance motor?
Thanks.
Recently I've been asked by my good friend whether I'd like to join his start up company, which has developed new electric motor technology. What they have right now is aircooled 8.4 lbs motor, with 80 Nm peak torque and 19 kW peak power at 48V (if I recall the voltage correctly). The efficiency curve is essentially flat, over 88-90% almost across the entire range of operation. They think to finish the tests in the near future, and may start selling it as a beta prototype with target retail price of $1990 or close to it, with 6-12 months warranty. These guys are EV enthusiasts and want to make this technology available to other enthusiasts even before they offer it to businesses.
I am not sure whether this venture will work out: I see too much of competition and not very sure whether there is a big market even for the first beta prototype.
Any opinions? How many of you would spend money to buy such motor? Does anybody know how big is potential market for such motor? I have a feeling like they should have made a smaller motor for bicycles rather than this sucker, but again, I am not sure. Is motor performance important for you? Would you prefer cheaper Etek over such pricier performance motor?
Thanks.