BionX

BionX was a Canadian maker of electric motors for bicycles. Its first motors in the early 2000s, while still named EPS (Electric Propulsion Systems) , were kits for retrofitting .

BionX logo

On February 27, 2018 BionX Canada went into receivership, all 80 employees were let go and the company was shut down temporarily to find a buyer.[1] Grant Thornton Limited was appointed as Receiver.[2]

In June 2018, parts of the business were sold off to three other businesses,[3] and the rest of the company assets were liquidated via online auction that ended August 15, 2018.[4]

By the end of October 2018 the responsible receiver of the insolvent BionX Canada Inc. sold the company’s intellectual property, including patents, trademarks, software and domains as well as remaining inventory with court approval to Amego Electric Vehicles and its nominee Leisger Cycle Inc.[5]

History

In 1998, entrepreneur Jean-Yves Dubé formed Energy and Propulsion Systems (EPS), a company in Quebec, Canada.[6] In the year 2000, the name was changed to "BionX".

In 2008, it was acquired by Magna[7] and by then its motors had become standard parts in many ebikes. Bike makers in Europe and North America including Trek, Matra,[8], Kalkhoff, used BionX motors.

In 2011, Bionix introduced SeaScape, an electrically-assisted paddle-boat product line.

BionX was headquartered in Aurora, Ontario where motors are produced and assembled before being sold locally or being shipped to over 15 countries. Research and development was based in Sherbrooke, Quebec. The European sales and service center was located near Munich, Germany.

BionX motors are typically mounted into an oversize rear wheel hub, and they are characterized by low noise and the capability to charge the battery during braking or downhill riding .

Motors

The BionX electric bicycle wheel hub motors have certain innovative characteristics, often not found on similar hub motor products, including having the motor controller embedded within the hub itself and integrated regenerative braking abilities that allow the batteries to be partially recharged when riding downhill.

The D series of motors was the most recent and strongest BionX technology with a torque of 25/50 Nm. The motor cylinder is much larger but thinner than in previous versions and weighs 4.0 kg (8.8 lb). Before that was the S series which with 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) was lighter than the P series at the same strength. The P series motors were the first produced by Bionx. They have a torque of 9/40 Nm at a weight of 4.7 kg (10.4 lb).[9]

Watts* Voltage Weight Year Source
D-500 500W (NA), 250W (EU) 48V 4.08 kg 2015
S-350 350W (NA) 48V 4.08 kg 2014
P-350 350W (NA), 250W (EU) 36V 4.7 kg 2014
SL-350 350W (NA) 48V 4.3 kg 2013
PL-350 350W (NA) 37V 4.3 kg 2013
PL-250 250W (NA) 26V 4.3 kg 2013

*Since the maximum legal power specifications in Watts are different for the same motor in North America and Europe, the name varies. For example, the P-350 is usually sold as the P-250 in Europe.

Though several competing wheel hub based motors are produced, including Panasonic (e.g. KTM's eRace), Alber's Xion (lately in Kalkhoff bikes)[10], Heinzmann[11], and GoSwiss.[12] their main competitor was the Bosch eBike.[13]

gollark: However, I don't know how asymptotes work, so I'm just going for slightly increasing it each time.
gollark: It must asymptotically approach 6.1 as it approaches completion.
gollark: 6.00000000003.
gollark: If you just clone my body, it won't actually contain bees.
gollark: Without necessarily being sure of them.

See also

References
  1. Vanderpool, Val (2018-03-02). "BionX shuts down as it searched for a new owner". bicycleretailer.com. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
  2. "Bionx Canada Inc. - Important Information for Creditors". grantthornton.ca. 2018-02-27. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
  3. "BionX Canada Sells Parts of its Business". BicycleRetailer.com. 2018-06-21. Retrieved 2018-09-03.
  4. "BionX Auction Catalog". bidspotter.com. 2018-08-15. Retrieved 2018-09-03.
  5. "European Subsidiary BionX Ceases Operation". Bike Europe. Retrieved 2019-11-18.
  6. "BionX Timeline". ElectricBike.com. 2018-03-27. Retrieved 2018-09-03.
  7. Electric Bike Review: Binoix
  8. Wheeler
  9. Bionix: Motor technology
  10. Alber
  11. Heinzmann
  12. GoSwiss
  13. Benedict, Tyler. "E-Bike Tech Comparison: Bosch Frame Mounted Motors vs. Bion-X Hub Motors" (11 August 2014). Bikerumor.com. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
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