Monte Carlo-based HPS Design is making its ultra-light F1-inspired e-bike propulsion system available to manufacturers across Europe.
Part-designed by former Jordan and Jaguar F1 technical director Gary Anderson, HPS’ ‘WattAssist’ system is already being leveraged by renowned racing brands like Lotus and FiftyOne.
Weighing in at less than two kilograms in its simplest version, the WattAssist aims to give power assistance to road bikes without significantly impacting their weight and design.
“I’m an ex international racing cyclist,” HPS Founder and CEO Harry Gibbings told Zag Daily. “I’m in my 50s and when I go out with the younger guys I get a hiding to be quite honest. I have a couple of options – either I don’t cycle with them at all and cycle on my own instead. Or, worst of all, they wait for me.
“That was the genesis of developing this system. It’s for people who loved and still love cycling. Whether it’s age or health constraints, if you’re struggling to keep up – this is the way to do it.”
Two different batteries are offered by the WattAssist – an 85wH battery weighing in at 720 grams, and an 193wH battery which offers three hours of assistance.
The system is integrated into the bike via a bespoke design rather than a standard retrofit, and most bikes which incorporate the WattAssist hover between eight and nine kilograms in total.
Riders can turn the propulsion system on and off when they need it and they can remove the water-bottle shaped battery if they wish to shed the weight during a mechanical ride.
HPS has designed the WattAssist to have no impact on the geometry of the bike, instead replicating a race bike with a low centre of gravity for stability and handling.
The WattAssist boasts British racing and former racing drivers Jenson Button and David Coulthard as customers as well as F1 figures Toto and Susie Wolff.
HPS is targeting the WattAssist to manufacturers across Europe, and is also in discussions with US potential partners.
“This market has often been thought of as a niche market. But it’s like putting gears on a bike – when gears were put on bikes in the Tour de France, everyone said it wasn’t pure cycling. But it increased the reach of the bicycle, and it got more people cycling which was the original goal. This is what HPS aims to do.”
