OTA updates are the usual norm for smartphones and other digital devices. They have also become popular in cars and now they also reach the latest generation micromobility. But not everything they bring is good.
In the world of mobile phones, smartphones and other technological devices, OTA updates are the order of the day. And, following the rise of electric cars, they have also become popular in the automotive sector.
The same is not yet the case in micromobility, although the fact that a large number of electric scooters and bicycles include connection via app to manage certain services and provide information about the vehicle, it certainly opens the door.
Electric bikes and scooters that are configured under a specific homologation may no longer be legally valid after updating
Y that’s what OKAI has done with his Fat Bike EB50, which he has recently improved through an OTA update.
What is an OTA update
OTA (Over The Air) updates are those that are sent to the device or vehicle via the internet. The receiver automatically detects the presence of an update to its software and prompts the user to authorize the download and subsequent installation of the update package.
The OTA update can contain any type of improvement: from security or bug fixes to the installation of a new operating system or increased performance.
Why OTA updates can be a problem for electric bikes
In the automotive world, OTA updates are often used to unlock or add functionality, but also to increase performance through an increase in power or better management that increases autonomy, etc.
In the case of the OTA update implemented by OKAI, it is considerably increased the speed of the bicyclewhich in practice creates a legal problem.
In United States, Class 2 electric bicycles they cannot exceed 20 miles per hour (32 km/h) by activating an accelerator (in Spain only 25 km/h are allowed with pedal assistance, without the presence of any accelerator).
The OKAI EB50 is sold with the power limited to 750 W in order not to exceed that speed (each country may have different legislation), but the recently received OTA update has allowed the electric motor to be used at its maximum potential: 1000 W. This has caused that, when the bike is 100% loaded, the maximum speed can go up to 50 km/h.
The influence of battery charging is because most electric bikes power the motor controllers and the motor itself. directly from your package voltage. This results in higher engine RPM being available at higher load states.
Regardless of this technical detail, the main problem is that, with OTA updates, electric bicycles and scooters that are configured to be sold under a specific approvalmay cease to be legally valid once they are in the hands of the user.
And, of course, the authorities are currently not prepared to massively and effectively control which small electric vehicles comply with the regulations on the streets.
It is more than likely that OKAI is leading the way for other micromobility manufacturersso that in the future the authorities will probably be forced to implement new restrictions and/or control systems in the face of what may cause certain models initially designed for one type of use to end up offering a higher potential.
Photos: OKAI