ELECTRIC

Three different styles, but what are they really capable of?

All three ebikes have a unique electric setup. The Vektron uses the slick Bosch Active Plus motor, mounted at the cranks for optimum efficiency and smoothness. Unlike previous generation Bosch systems, the latest line now has the chainring on the outside of the motor, so you don’t get that ‘brick wall’ effect when the motor isn’t spinning. With a more traditional, externally mounted battery, the Vektron looks very much like an ebike - the plus point is you can remove the battery to charge it, or you can just plug in at the source. The 400Wh battery is rated for about 31 miles in its most powerful mode, or 62 miles in eco mode, which is nifty.

At a glance ,you’d be hard pushed to tell the Brompton Electric apart from a regular one, aside from the battery strapped to it. The motor is housed in the front wheel hub, giving you instant power as you pedal. Developed in conjuction with Williams Advanced Engineering (yes, the F1 guys), the motor uses a smart sensor to adjust the power as you ride. With its ‘battery-in-a-bag’ setup, mounted to the handlebar stem, you can easily remove it for charging. The electric controls are mounted on the top of the battery, for accessibility. You get three power modes to play with and niceties such as auto lights and a USB port for charging your phone. The Brompton’s 300Wh battery offers 25-50 miles of range, depending on mode.

The Vello Bike+ has a clever all-in-one motor and battery housed in a hub at the rear wheel. It weighs just 3kg and is mounted nice and low, to aid handling. The Vello’s party piece is its F1-like Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS). In full regenerative mode you can travel indefinitely without having to charge the battery, which is a big deal. That said, it only really works on a flat, and as it only offers minimal power assistance to get you going, it won’t handle hills. If you have a need for speed, Turbo mode will propel you at a rate of knots, bursting through the battery to give you a mere 29km of range.

The Vello’s party piece is its F1-like Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS)