In case you hadn't noticed, electric pedal-assist bikes have really made their mark in 2023, becoming a vital component in the mobility mix. For our look back over a year overflowing with ebikes, we revisit some of the tech highlights.
As before, we're not going to focus on the year's best sellers here, or even our most popular articles, but rather models or technologies that push the envelope to improve the lot for ebike riders or demonstrate novel thinking.
Among the developments that stood out during 2023 were a Bosch-powered triple-load cargo ebike, a combined motor and gearbox from Pinion, a ride copilot built around an AI chatbot, an electric off-road concept with power steering, and an impressive late entry in the shape of a hubless reworking of a Penny Farthing.
In no particular order, here are our picks for the top ebike innovations of 2023.
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![Yamaha has been working on powering both wheels of its motorcycles for 25 years, and now it's]()
October 18, 2023Yamaha has been building eBikes for three decades and experimenting with 2WD motorcycles since 1992. A new concept to be shown at the Japan Mobility Show later this month suggests a lightweight AWD e-bike is on the cards. -
![Urtopia's ebikes are already essentially rolling computers, but now the company has demonstrated running ChatGPT as a dash-integrated co-pilot]()
June 30, 2023OpenAI's ChatGPT has only been open to the public since November last year, yet the artificial-intelligence chatbot already seems to be everywhere. At Eurobike last week, China's Urtopia revealed its first application as an ebike co-pilot. -
![The Motor.Gearbox.Unit (MGU) sits at the heart of the Pinion E-Drive System]()
June 20, 2023For 11 years now, German company Pinion's sealed mid-mount gearbox has offered a tougher alternative to derailleurs. It's now been combined with a motor, resulting in a two-in-one ebike module called the Motor.Gearbox.Unit – or MGU for short. -
![Unlike the standard welded frame, the REF frame can quickly break down into a series of tubes and hubs, making frame repair as simple as swapping in brand-new replacement pieces]()
July 13, 2023REF Bikes is looking to revolutionize bicycle design. In place of fixed-tube frames, its bicycles use modular tubes that secure into place via hubs. One bike becomes many different bikes, and frame repairs are as simple as swapping in a new tube. -
![The CS cargo ebikes can be configured with a rack front and back, plus another slung low in the middle]()
June 19, 2023German cargo bike maker Ca Go has revealed the triple-load CS range of cargo ebikes, which mix aspects of short-tail haulers with front loaders for a flexible compact city ride capable of carrying up to 75 kg or goods or gear. -
![Schaeffler's Free Drive system will make its commercial debut on the mocci ebike]()
February 24, 2023Two years ago we first heard about Schaeffler's Free Drive system, which uses a generator instead of a chain or belt to propel an ebike. The technology is now entering its first commercial use, in fleets of ebikes made for commuting and cargo-hauling. -
![The Niche Mobility Automatic Digital Transmission System is expected to be available to ebike manufacturers next year]()
May 25, 2023Spanish startup Niche Mobility has announced the development of "the first drive system for electric bicycles with regenerative braking and a virtual gearbox," which will be made available to ebike makers from next year. -
![Christopher Terpstra with his finally-complete penn-E-farthing]()
December 15, 2023Although their advantages over conventional bikes are debatable, hubless-wheel ebikes do look futuristic. Penny farthings, on the other hand, do not. It only makes sense, then, that Christopher Terpstra would combine the two in his penn-E-farthing. -
![Stromer shows its prototype ceramic solid state battery at Eurobike 2023]()
July 24, 2023Stromer is hard at work on a solid state battery pack that could lower ebike charging times drastically. The pack could charge 10 times faster than traditional lithium batteries, allowing riders to get back in the saddle in minutes, not hours. -
![Veer's (currently ) two-speed Shift Drive system is compatible with traditional wheel hubs and frames]()
November 06, 2023For vehicles like ebikes, belt drives offer a smoother, zero-maintenance alternative to chain drives. The Shift Drive system takes the technology further, by allowing riders to shift between two gears – plus it works on unmodified bicycle frames.
