Daymak Inc. has previously brought us some interesting innovations in the world of electric two-wheelers, including the world's first wirelessly-controlled e-bike, and the Beast off-road solar-powered scooter. Now, the Toronto-based company is set to release its Daymak Drive System (DDS) – it's an e-bike conversion kit, that's powered by the sun.
The main DDS component is a wheel equipped with a 250-watt motor and a 36-volt/12-Ah lithium-polymer battery – both located in its hub – that replaces a conventional bike's rear wheel. Its hub also incorporates a series of solar panels, which are protected by a clear plastic covering.
The idea is that as long as the bike is parked or in motion while out in the daylight, even if it's cloudy, those panels will provide a continuous trickle charge to the battery. According to the Daymak rep we spoke to at Interbike, every hour of exposure to daylight should result in an average of one extra kilometer's worth (0.6 miles) of battery power.
Things like the level of motor assistance are adjusted via the other part of the system, the handlebar-mounted controller. It communicates with the motor wirelessly, and has its own solar panels for charging its integrated battery. That said, both it and the motor's battery can also be charged using mains power, via an included charger.
DDS should be available as of next year, in 26- and 28-inch wheel sizes set up for disc or V-pull brakes, starting at US$699. It reportedly takes less than five minutes to swap onto an existing bike, although if you'd prefer not to do any swapping, a complete DDS-dedicated bike is also coming.
Source: Daymak
it's a dud. dead on arrival. while one can legitimately argue the benefits of gearless hub motors. namely, robust operation and totally silent operation and fewer parts and better heat sink, ------------- batteries and controllers simply don't belong inside the wheel. and the ease of installing a wheel with a simple installation on any bike simply is not a serious adavnatage compared to the assortment of problems created by placing batteries and controllers in a wheel.
and yet....plenty of dumb money still chases this pointless design that will end up in the graveyard of e-bike design history.
would you put your gasoline tank and your onboard computer, right next to your engine block, and inside your wheel?? no you wouldn't.
simply because it makes it easier to put a 'kit' wheel on an existing bike does not make it a useful product.
ebikes are not pure-bicycles. and the designs that help sell kits, are selling compromised ebikes to people. in the long run this will just shake out as these manufacturers give up on these designs or go bankrupt in the process...
Coming from Toronto I have followed them for a few years since I heard about them on tv and saw their ebikes everywhere. The Shadow was the first wireless ebike and that wasn't dead on arrival and from what people are saying the DDS - Daymak Drive System will be the first wheel of its kind that will work. Or should I say it does work.
These guys have been in business since 2001 and have also come out with a solar rechargeable off-road ebike. OOOPS that shouldn't be able to work either, right? They haven't gone bankrupt yet obviously.
So before you try to post intelligent comments about ebikes (which are nothing more than your misguided opinions) and the innovations some companies are making, why don't you wait and see when it comes into the market before you knock it.
I can't wait to get one and see it work. These guys are really smart and Daymak has put Toronto on the ebike map, their biggest problem seems to be that they haven't tooted their own horn.
They had the Copenhagen Wheel out years before it was out. Only difference was they didn't go after the "big money" you keep talking about.
All I can say is the only thing to me that will end up in the graveyard, are your comments which probably would have better been kept to yourself. Funny that Bionics says that they sell millions of dollars in "kit wheels" each year," but according to you that doesn't make it a useful product.
Hmmmm tell Bionics that too as they laugh all the way to the bank. I wish Daymak well and it's great to see somebody doing something different for a change not just importing crap Chinese bikes.....
This is a very interesting product. May you achieve much success in your endeavors!
I suspect, though, that a tiny solar panel on the hub won't offer enough performance to matter. How about a solar bike cover so it can charge while you're having a coffee at the turn-around point?