Pint-sized Freeflow Technologies motor begins OEM sign up

Since breaking on to the scene in October 2018 with its initial £1.7 million fundraising drive, FreeFlow Technologies has undergone a system redesign on its new ETS mid-drive motor, something that the firm promises now brings an unrivalled power to weight ratio.

The Glasgow based business, which will produce its first systems out of the Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry, says it has now launched a second investment round, which will bring its round motor to market. In developing the bottom bracket-based motor the company’s design team has registered three patents in 15 countries, with a further five pending.

Managing Director, David Hemming told CyclingIndustry.News: “We’re at the final stages of proving the concept and our Coventry production team will handle the first 2,000 units, after which time we shall outsource to Malaysia to ensure we improve on an already competitive pricing for our OEM clients. Lifecycle testing is going very well as well.”

The second funding round will expand the company’s ambition to serve a large number of global bike and automotive brands, with Hemming telling CI.N the harmonic system has already caught the eye of some of cycling’s premium tier e-Bike makers.

“This is a very attractive proposition for the bike industry in that it only takes just north of ten minutes to install and is incredibly easy to build a frame around. It’s a very efficient system due to the Harmonic, with a 50km range per charge while using it on full power, brands can play with bigger batteries to increase the range. The systems simplicity is so efficient that when not turned on it rides just like a normal bike, a key design statement for us. We now have almost a dozen brands under NDA/JDA agreements to move forward with the ETS system.”

When it comes to battery spec the FreeFlow system again shrinks down the possibility for frame makers, offering a 61mm external diameter for a removable battery, or 51mm internal only. This is another key design statement, enabling brands to make an e-Bike look like a normal bike. Hemming has gone on to say that with the right OEM brand and with a FreeFlow ETS system we could well see a 9kg or below e-Bike weight very soon.

“With new investment we’ll be able to scale the system to better suit both mountain bikes and further uses such as cargo bikes. Our pricing will be very much in line with the other key OEM players,” added Hemming.

FreeFlow Technologies has also received investment from the former CTO and CEO of Dyson. Founder Neil MacMartin is a bike industry veteran with a family bike business in Glasgow.