←back to thread

Rivian's TM-B electric bike

(www.theverge.com)
190 points hasheddan | 1 comments | 22 Oct 25 18:00 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
Show context
justinator ◴[22 Oct 25 23:08 UTC] No.45676303[source]▶
Pedaling to make energy to store in a battery that then runs an electric motor seems to get around the best thing about bicycles: their efficiency.

No one is going to do that. It's an electric motorcycle in disguise. Don't even play.

replies(1): >>45676373 #
dfltr ◴[22 Oct 25 23:18 UTC] No.45676373[source]▶
If only there were some way to take all that work of pedaling and efficiently translate it into torque on the rear wheel, right?
replies(1): >>45676570 #
justinator ◴[22 Oct 25 23:44 UTC] No.45676570[source]▶
like a... drive train or something?

science fiction my good dude.

replies(1): >>45677486 #
_whiteCaps_ ◴[23 Oct 25 02:22 UTC] No.45677486[source]▶
Wouldn't you be able to pedal at your most efficient rate, and go at whatever speed you want? Like how diesel-electric trains don't actually drive the wheels with the diesel engine, they power an electric motor.

(I've never ridden any kind of e-bike so I don't really know how it works)

replies(4): >>45677846 #>>45677862 #>>45678250 #>>45678497 #
1. pandaman ◴[23 Oct 25 03:23 UTC] No.45677846[source]▶
Trains and large trucks use this setup because a mechanical gearbox would need to be enormous to withstand torques they produce. Bikes don't experience even moderate torques so they can be equipped with 10-20 geared transmissions, which weight under 1 kg.