Bosch has announced their new motor, Bosch CX 2020, which replaces the enormously popular Bosch Performance CX.
Bosch CX 2020 ebike motor exploded view
Bosch has been in the electric bike motor business for ten years now. Their range of motors has powered e-bikes for scores of brands including Cube, Scott, Kalkhoff, Riese & Müller and Haibike.
Their Performance CX motor was beginning to show its age in recent years, with limited battery capacity, excess noise and a less-than compact size and weight.
So what does the Bosch’s new CX 2020 system bring to the party?
Has it made Bosch Performance CX obsolete?
Bosch CX 2020: it’s lighter
Bosch found ways to shed 1.4kg from their motor, with the CX 2020 weighing in at 2.9kg.
This is still a shade much than several other motors on the market, notably the Brose Drive S Mag which packs enormous power and capability into a 2.4kg package. You’ll find this class-leading motor on several of our new BH eMTB AtomX Carbon models.
Bosch CX 2020: it’s more powerful
Torque remains the same at 75Nm (Newton metres) but assistance is up from 300% to 340%.
EMTB mode remains as Bosch’s way of supplying the correct amount of assistance depending on what the rider encounters. In this mode, assistance ranges from 140% to 340% automatically.
How does this compare with other systems? Brose’s Drive S Mag offers 90Nm torque and 410% maximum assistance, while Haibike Flyon’s TQ HPR 120S develops an exciting 120Nm torque.
One thing we’ve noticed is that Bosch now permits hub gears to be used with their CX motor system. This was restricted to their ActiveLine motors so it’s safe to assume they’ve done more work on gear change management.
Bosch CX 2020: its battery has supersized
One thing that really held Bosch’s ebike systems back in recent years was the problem of batteries.
Yes, they successfully made the move over to the PowerTube format that allowed integration into the frame. However, the largest single battery capacity available has been 500Wh for many years.
Some manufacturers rigged their bikes up to take two battery packs – Riese & Müller offered several bikes like this – but that was at a cost of several extra hundred pounds and a couple of kilos of weight to haul around.
It’s great to see that Bosch have now broken through the 500Wh barrier with a 625 Wh battery, the PowerTube 625.
The motor system is also compatible with all previous versions of their battery packs, starting at the 300Wh pack which was the only option in the early days.
Bosch confirm that a dual PowerTube 625 configuration will be available, giving an impressive 1250Wh of battery capacity and enormous range that will get you close to 100 miles before plugging in!
Bosch CX 2020: it’s a little quieter
I’ve owned several Bosch-powered ebikes over the years and the Bosch Performance CX motor that 2020 replaces was notably noisy on some models.
This is partly due to how the motor was engineered, partly how it an individual bike’s frame resonates.
Some motors are noticeably quieter than others. Brose Drives are famed for how quiet they are (they use a belt drive rather than internal reduction gears).
Other new entrants, like the TQ HPR 120S fitted to Haibike’s latest generation of Flyon electric mountain bikes, are exceptionally noisy out on the trail.
So it’s good to hear that Bosch CX 2020 has reduced noise output somewhat, especially at higher cadences when Performance CX loudly announced its presence.
Bosch CX 2020: E-Live Valve active suspension
Hot on the heels of Bosch’s ABS system comes electronically-controllable eSuspension from FOX. This allows the fork and rear shock to adjust to the terrain automatically in split seconds. It can be controlled with the Kiox on-board computer.
We cannot find any news about a high speed version of this new Bosch motor, so speed will be limited to 25kph / 15.5mph for now.
Who will stock bikes with Bosch CX 2020?
When Cube and Riese & Müller announce that they’ll fit the new Bosch Performance motor to their bikes, we’ll surely offer them to our customers. It’s very hard to give a date for that, but it’s unlikely to be before next season is underway.
In the meantime, you can enjoy most of the advantages, more power, greater range, lower noise and better display technology by choosing a bike with a Brose Drive from our BH Atom & Atom X range
Bosch have published a wealth of information on the new CX 2020 drive unit
Read about who rides electric bikes