Evian/Berlin
24-hour race on Lac Léman: Brose e-bike drive in pedal boat
Spectacular action on Lake Geneva: Inspired by the famous car race in Le Mans, a pedal boat with Brose e-bike drive circumnavigated the lake in 24 hours. Four young athletes took turns pedaling the 131-kilometer route at the end of June. The start and finish of the 24 heures sur Léman
was the town Evian. A record was set when they crossed the finish line after 24 hours and 20 minutes.
The idea for the boat with electric motor support came from René Bouverat, co-owner of Alpes Factory, a French manufacturer of precision mechanics. As a supplier to Brose, Bouverat was familiar with our e-bike drives. The stress of a 24-hour operation was intended to prove the performance and resilience of the Brose drive.
Based on the high-torque Drive S Alu variant, the partners developed a pedal boat drive that also makes everyday pedaling easier for any age group. The technically unchanged e-bike drive with 90 Newton meters of torque sits on the pedal axle of the boat, just like on a bicycle. The power supply is ensured by our Brose Battery 630. Alpes Factory integrated the splash-proof drive into a standard pedal boat and now offers the system as a retrofit kit.
The race was a huge success! The Brose motor reliably delivered top performance for 24 hours under full load, an extreme stress situation. From the development phase to the finish, the project was an exciting challenge
, explains Thomas Leicht, former head of Brose e-bike drives. Our family-owned company will use the knowledge gained to further develop the e-bike systems.