Electric Bicycle Conversions

What's Watts

What does it all mean?

Here is a misconception of what watts do for you. Some people think that the higher the watts, the faster and farther you will go. Basically, your voltage, amperage and efficiency (quality) determine your speed and distance between charges.

The wattage rating of your motor really means how much power your motor can handle efficiently without overheating, burning out your motor or overtaxing your battery.

The formula for watts is, Amps x Volts = watts .i.e. 36 volts x 12 amps = 432 watts. Your 450 watt motor should handle this very well, considering that only about 60% of the power generated by the amps x volts ever reach or is taken advantage by you motor.

The gauge and the quality of the material of the wiring and connectors between the power source and the motor come into play with the efficiency of the power generated, (using the power that you paid for).

Now here is the kicker, QUALITY. Generally, the quality of a brushless motor is defined by the characteristics of the casting design, material, the precision and the quality of the bearings and magnets.

High quality bearings reduce friction, vibration and therefore less wear and less resistance. The magnet quality is responsible for power (torque). This is what gets you moving from a dead stop, climbing a hill or facing a headwind. Since there are no moving parts in a brushless motor except the bearings, this is where the quality of the bearings really count. There are some cheap motors manufactured with low quality bearings and magnets.

You need rare earth magnets or other quality magnets such as neodymium which are relatively expensive, plus quality bearings in the motor that you buy. Don’t be shy about asking your seller questions, check out his reputation and ask other bloggers about their experience with them.

The reality is, you get what you pay for. Buying quality once is usually cheaper than buying inferior products twice … or……. more.

Why would you want a high wattage rating? Due to amperage draw created by the hills or dead stop starts could cause your motor to overheat if it is underrated, and reduce the longevity and productivity of the motor, not to mention stealing the distance from your battery that you could travel.

If you want to see more information take a look at http://www.pegasuspowersystems.com