It's Official! Free Drive Chainless System Lets E-Bikes Break Away From the Grid for Good

Free Drive or "Bike-by-Wire," they're calling it, and simply put, it can very well be considered the next step in cycling evolution. Why? BECAUSE THERE'S NO CHAIN! And, no, I didn't forget CAPS Lock on; this is that important. If you've understood what we'll be discussing today, we're in for a real treat. But first, how did we get here?

Well, if you're up to date with the Schaeffler Group, you know they've been a staple of the automotive industry for decades. Mainly, they build components and systems for engines, transmissions, chassis, and, most recently, hybrid and electric vehicles. Remember one thing: we're seeing the finished, tested, and applied product. In truth, Schaeffler has been busy working on e-bike systems for years. Even back in 2016, they unveiled the Velomatic, an automated gear-shifting setup applicable to a wide range of bicycles. All that culminates in the latest trinket to come out of the group, Free Drive.

Now, Free Drive is a system that Schaeffler developed with help. They worked together with Heinzmann GmbH, a "specialist" in two-wheeler e-drive components. The result? Unlocking an entirely new architecture for bicycle building. Again, eliminating the chain and other traditional drivetrain components means that bicycles, be they with two, three, or four wheels, can be designed completely differently than established norms.

As for how the system works, I want you to imagine a little generator with cranks and pedals sticking out of the sides. That's precisely what the Free Drive is, a little generator that can produce electricity. Electricity which is then fed "by wire" directly to a rear motor. Simple and effective. What more could you want, folks?

How does this happen? As you push down on the pedal, the generator puts out a constant resistance on the pedal. That resistance is then transformed from mechanical energy into electrical power and back into mechanical force once fed to the motor. Any excess energy that isn't used by the motor is simply transferred to the battery and stored to be used later. Overall, a continuous output of 250 watts can be generated with this unit. In time, that will most likely change.

One aspect that slipped my mind was that this system completely cuts you off from the grid. There's no need to plug anything in, just get up and go. Nor do we need to figure out ways to put solar panels on our bikes. It's official, people! We don't need the grid anymore! This is a godsend for any fleet owners that use e-bikes as a last-mile solution. Hell, my design and engineering wheels are already turning with the appearance of this setup.

This brings me to my next point. I want you to imagine that Free Drive extends beyond e-bikes, because it really does. Imagine such a generator infused into a stationary cycle that you have in your home. Oh, and you just happened to have a battery standing by to take up some of that energy. Maybe you even have an engineering degree sitting on your wall, attesting that you have the knowledge necessary to generate power for a smart device.

In its current stages, Free Drive is targeting the transportation and delivery industries. As I mentioned, it really makes sense for large companies that regularly use e-bikes or other vehicles to deliver packages to get in on the action, and they are. But another team that's incorporating this system is mocci.

What is mocci? This is a brand of the CIP Group that's focused on applying the Free Drive to the mobility machines they design and build. They're already leading the way with a different kind of bicycle, one built around using recycled plastics to create the frame and other structural components. Furthermore, the Smart Pedal Vehicle, as mocci likes to call it, is modular, allowing it to meet an array of needs. The Free Drive was just the last piece in mocci's green ambitions.

Wrap that all up together into one neat package, and what do you have? A new drivetrain system that reduces the number of components needed to function. This should lead to reduced maintenance costs, a more reliable machine, and independence from the grid. All welcome aspects into the lives of any fleet management company. Any lives, for that matter.

The next step in bicycle evolution, or any drivetrain, for that matter, is to figure out how to manipulate electrical charges to create gears that work without any physical matter. Something wild like that I read over 10 years ago, and it was only possible at a microscopic level. So, even though Schaeffler is at the forefront of a new era in cycling, new ideas are sure to pop up very soon.