BionX

BionX logo

BionX is a Canadian maker of electric motors for bicycles. Its first motors in the early 2000s, while still named EPS (Electric Propulsion Systems) , were kits for retrofitting . On February 27, 2018 BionX Canada went into receivership, all 80 employees were let go and the company was shut down temporarily to find a buyer.[1] Grant Thornton Limited was appointed as Receiver.[2]

In June 2018, parts of the business were sold off to three other businesses,[3] and the rest of the company assets were liquidated via online auction that ended August 15, 2018.[4]

History

In 1998, entreprenuer Jean-Yves Dubé formed Energy and Propulsion Systems (EPS), a company in Quebec, Canada.[5] In the year 2000, the name was changed to "BionX".

In 2008, it was acquired by Magna and by then its motors had become standard parts in many ebikes. Today, bike makers in Europe and North America like Trek, Matra, Wheeler, Kalkhoff, and others use BionX motors.

In 2011, SeaScape, an electrically-assisted paddle-boat product line was introduced.

BionX was headquartered in Aurora, Ontario where motors are produced and assembled before being sold locally or being shipped to over 15 countries. Research and development was based in Sherbrooke, Quebec . The European sales and service center is located near Munich, Germany .

Typically, BionX motors are rear wheel motors characterized by low noise and the possibility to charge the battery during braking or downhill riding .

Motors

The BionX electric bicycle wheel hub motors have certain innovative characteristics, often not found on similar hub motor products, including having the motor controller embedded within the hub itself and integrated regenerative braking abilities that allow the batteries to be partially recharged when riding downhill.

The D series of motors was the latest and strongest BionX technology with a torque of 25/50 Nm. The motor cylinder is much larger but thinner than in previous versions and weighs 4.0 kg (8.8 lb). Before that was the S series which with 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) was lighter than the P series at the same strength. The P series motors were the first produced by Bionx. They have a torque of 9/40 Nm at a weight of 4.7 kg (10.4 lb).

Watts* Voltage Weight Year Source
D-500 500W (NA), 250W (EU) 48V 4.08 kg 2015
S-350 350W (NA) 48V 4.08 kg 2014
P-350 350W (NA), 250W (EU) 36V 4.7 kg 2014
SL-350 350W (NA) 48V 4.3 kg 2013
PL-350 350W (NA) 37V 4.3 kg 2013
PL-250 250W (NA) 26V 4.3 kg 2013

*Since the maximum legal power specifications in Watts are different for the same motor in North America and Europe, the name varies. For example, the P-350 is usually sold as the P-250 in Europe.

Motors similar to BionX are rear hub motors by Panasonic (e.g. KTM's eRace), Alber's Xion (lately in Kalkhoff bikes), Heinzmann, and GoSwiss.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Vanderpool, Val (2018-03-02). "BionX shuts down as it searched for a new owner". bicycleretailer.com. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
  2. ↑ "Bionx Canada Inc. - Important Information for Creditors". grantthornton.ca. 2018-02-27. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
  3. ↑ "BionX Canada Sells Parts of its Business". BicycleRetailer.com. 2018-06-21. Retrieved 2018-09-03.
  4. ↑ "BionX Auction Catalog". bidspotter.com. 2018-08-15. Retrieved 2018-09-03.
  5. ↑ "BionX Timeline". ElectricBike.com. 2018-03-27. Retrieved 2018-09-03.
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