The fifth season of riding the Trek Powerfly 4 bike is coming to an end. I presented the bike here, then prepared a comparison with a trekking bike and a comparison of riding with different electric drive aids.
The bike uses a Bosch Performance Line CX drive with a Purion display and is powered by a PowerTube 500 battery (500 Wh capacity). I was interested in some information. For example: how many kilometers I rode with this bike, which riding mode I used the most, what condition the battery is in…
To get this information, I contacted the Cvero service center (and store) in Radomlje, where they have the necessary diagnostic tools for Bosch drives.
Here are some summaries that may be of interest:
Kilometers traveled: 8460 km
Drive operating time: 1468 hours
Average energy consumption: 6.21 Wh/km
Number of charging cycles: 104
Remaining capacity: 478 Wh (96%)
Proportion of driving modes:
OFF: 43%
ECO: 47%
TOUR: 8%
TURBO: 2%
No faults have been recorded in the system to date.
The nominal capacity of the battery is 500 Wh, and testing has shown that it can still accept 478 Wh (which is 96% of the nominal capacity). The degradation is therefore very small. Although I hardly notice any deterioration on the road, I still expected greater degradation. This is encouraging news for all e-cyclists who are concerned about how long the battery will last. Bosch mentions in its data that the battery should last up to 1,500 charging cycles (with proper handling), which is more than enough.
My friends still ask me questions about range most often. It’s a really tough question to answer, as there are so many factors involved. If the route is mostly flat, I could still cover more than 100 km with my riding style. Bosch has an excellent calculator for this purpose. Unfortunately, Bosch did not anticipate that there are cases where the cyclist and bicycle weigh more than 175 kg, but they did cover the other factors well.
Although unlocking the motor is quite common, I did not decide to do so myself. As required by law, my motor only assists up to a speed of 25 km/h. Many people mistakenly believe that it is not possible to ride faster. Don’t worry, you can. It’s just that the motor no longer assists you once you reach 25 km/h, so you are dependent solely on your legs (and on descents, you can go as fast as you dare anyway). Unlocking certainly has a negative effect on the battery, as it is subjected to greater stress in this case.
I mostly use ECO mode, so the stress on the battery is low. ECO offers 5 to 6 times less motor power than (the most powerful) TURBO mode. This is of course reflected in the required currents and less battery degradation.
While I am quite careful with other batteries (phones, laptops, etc.), I have never been complicated about my bike. When I came home with my bike, I plugged it in and let it charge to the end. I never turned off the charger early (because of the battery). The same applies to the winter break. The battery was fully charged, and then – come what may – it didn’t matter whether I went on a trip or not.
The batteries are quite expensive. I remember that at the beginning, the prices were over a thousand euros, so I quickly gave up on the idea of buying an extra battery. Now the prices are significantly lower (approx. EUR 500). However, since this is a slightly older model, it is probably worth considering that the battery was manufactured several years ago and has been sitting in a warehouse.
Bosch offers users a variety of chargers. My set came with a compact one, which is a bit lighter (more suitable for traveling). It provides 2 A of current to the battery during charging and takes 7.5 hours to fully charge it. For comparison, the fastest (Bosch) charger charges such a battery in 3 hours. Fast charging certainly causes greater battery degradation. It is also worth noting that the charger (and battery) does not overheat at all, the connection is high quality, and the whole thing really inspires confidence. It is one of the few charging devices that you can leave unattended.
According to the available data, Bosch’s BMS (Battery Management System) takes very conservative care of the battery. In addition to controlling charging, it also ensures that the battery is never completely discharged, as this is very damaging to batteries.
What to write in conclusion? I am really satisfied with the Bosch drive. I don’t have any experience with others, and it is quite possible that the competition is close.
Am I missing anything? In principle, nothing. Perhaps I would like a more modern display that shows more information (such as power output). Maybe a slightly larger battery, so you don’t have to worry about it so much. Everything else is perfect (for now).