Mahle begins production of new X20 traction motor for e-bikes

Mahle has successfully launched production of its new X20 traction motor for e-bikes at its site in Šempeter pri Gorici, Slovenia.

Around 20 employees are currently producing the new drive on the assembly line commissioned just this year, with the first customer deliveries having already been made. According to Mahle, X20 will secure sales growth in the mid double-digit million range for the site in the coming years.

Mahle’s ultralight X20 drive system is perfectly tailored to the design of gravel bikes, road bikes and urban e-bikes. The hub motor delivers 23 newton meters directly to the wheel—a power output comparable with that of a mid-drive motor with 55 newton meters of torque. Equipped with a sophisticated sensor package that measures acceleration, speed, torque, temperature and pedaling rate, the X20 also uses artificial intelligence to continuously adapt the drive to the person in the saddle.

“We are delighted that the industrialization of the X20 has gone so smoothly and that we have already been able to deliver the first e-bike motors from Šempeter to our customers,” said Dr. Armin Messerer, Vice President Mechatronics, who is also responsible for the E-Bike Drive Systems division at Mahle. “With our X20 drive system, which can be installed virtually invisibly in the frame and hub, we are offering our customers a top-class product that sets a new benchmark in terms of power-to-weight ratio.”