From
http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=5755&p=106531#p106531
Chris Hunt writes on October 22, 2008...
The 600W thunderbolt is definately the motor of choice right now! It
weighs only 8.9 lbs! On our 55.5v lipo system and clyte 40A
controller, top speed is 36+ MPH (GPS). It is much faster than the
400w motor, and in my opinion is the better hill climber as well
especially when coupled with a clyte 40A controller. I am very
impressed with the capabilities of the 600w geared motor. I have even
sold kits to local bike store owners of all people! Today, I brought
our dual suspension bike with the 600W motor to the local bike shop to
let one of the guys try it... He literally ran inside the bike shop
with a huge grin and yelled to the manager "Hey man, you gotta try
this!" The manager replied "I don't know if I want to! You have me
nervous with that silly grin on your face!" Anyways, after every
single staff member of the bike shop tried it, they all had the same
reaction: A huge smile, followed by "Wow! I can't believe how fast it
is!" They were all dumbfounded. They were used to selling Bionx kits,
so they had no idea what was in store for them when they tried a a
motor like this!
I want to mention that I do have a Crystalyte 5304 to test...I am just
waiting on the rim to lace it in. I will be doing a comparison video
between the C-lyte 5304 and the 600W thunderbolt for anyone interested
in seeing how a 25 lb behemoth stacks up against an 8.9lb welterweight
champ. When both motors laced into rims hit the scales at the shop,
the BMC came in under 11 lbs, while the C-lyte was 27 lbs! Wow.
For comparison sake, the 600W motor at near full speed on the flats
will draw about 28-29 amps. The 400w motor will draw about 22 amps.
When I tested the 600w motor up a mile long 8-10% grade (no pedaling)
I saw about 33-34 Amps maximum. I was drawing a continuous 1500W
climbing the grade. No heat, no cutoff, nothing, just pure smiles as I
coasted to the top. The 600W Thunderbolt is a VERY impressive motor.
Regarding noise... If anyone is familiar with the older style Currie
US Pro Drive systems, the 400 and 600w motors are about twice as
quiet. The 1000W motor is downright silent once it gets to speed, No
other biker could ever suspect you had an electric motor if he judged
by sound. I will speak more about the 1000w motor when we finalize the
design and meet the criteria promised earlier: 40 MPH at 48V. Keep in
mind, we offer cycle analysts on all of our motors to limit the speed
to whatever speed you find acceptable.
P.S. This motor and our extremely light weight batteries make it
possible to offer a 35 MPH, high torque, 5" travel dual suspension
(120mm travel front forks) Mountain bike that weighs in at UNDER 40
lbs ready to ride! If there is interest in something like this, we
will definitely offer it in the near future! Have a great day everyone.