Falco's History and Story behind the Development of Falco eDrive Technology

Why do we do what we do?

We believe in the power of cycling. We believe that cycling brings about sweeping changes to our world. The potential is enormous regarding its impact on commuting, fitness, regeneration, and saving our planet. This belief keeps us marching forward at a rapid pace. We can change the world through cycling together.

 

Falco eMotors - We are the Final Solution!

In 2011, Falco revolutionized electric bike technology by introducing the ANT+-based 5-phase wireless eBike systems with an integrated torque and speed sensor in the free-hub body. Falco's e-bike technologies are known for exceptional reliability, jaw-dropping speeds, and incredible fluidity in transforming your bike, trike or tandem. Falco is the leader in direct drive technology for e-bikes. Falco eDrive is the first indoor/outdoor bike conversion that turns any bike into an innovative outdoor hybrid eBike and an interactive indoor power trainer.

The eDrive delivers a huge 100+ mile range and can achieve up to 28 mph speeds. With its lightweight lithium batteries mounted to the frame, a rider experiences unprecedented power in the ride.

Falco's eDrive provides seamless experiences across all devices and empowers people with breakthrough renewal for commuting, joy riding, fitness, and conservation of the planet.

Falco eDrive is an extraordinary and exciting development for the eBike industry. It brings the most unusual combination of zero-carbon, high-speed commuting, and a lot of fun into one core direct drive technology with incredible benefits to the end user. It is truly the most innovative technology in the eBike space today.

The Founder

Rakesh founded Falco in 2011.  Electric bicycle technology has been his passion ever since he joined Wavecrest Laboratories in 2001 in Dulles, Virginia. He was vital in commercializing the 7-phase electric drive technology for Tidalforce electric bikes. In 2004, Wavecrest Laboratories launched Tidalforce electric bikes with success and a high fan following.

Since 2001, Rakesh has tirelessly advanced the electric bicycle technology.

The Tidalforce bike became one of the best e-bikes in the US. Rakesh was also instrumental in designing the brushless motor for the Accell group based in the Netherlands. This engine is being produced in more than 100,000 units per year in China, based on the manufacturing blueprint laid out by Rakesh. Rakesh was also instrumental in launching propulsion systems for electric scooters and motorcycles for NASA and US Military & Oxygen (an Italian brand). In 2005, he founded Electric Motion Systems (EMS) with a group of engineers from Wavecrest and launched E+ (Eplus) electric bikes in the US. E+ was a lighter and more powerful version of the Tidalforce e-bike.

During this time, He also worked closely with Matra in France to set up their manufacturing infrastructure in China.

Rakesh and his team have developed a critical understanding of electric drive and light electric vehicle technology and have published many papers on the subject. He has co-authored over 25 publications in various refereed journals and conference proceedings and is an inventor of nine issued or pending US patents. He has served on the Technical Committee of multiple conferences and received a B. Tech (Electrical Engineering) degree from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, India, a Master's degree from the University of Minnesota, and an MBA from Old Dominion University.

Rakesh is a highly energetic individual eager to make a difference in this industry by combining technology excellence, leadership, and professional management skills with his innate entrepreneurial instincts. Over the years, Rakesh has successfully handled several roles in leadership, management, and corporate functions with hands-on experience in managing the growth and operational challenges associated with early-stage companies.

Learn more about Rakesh's journey here. 

Falco's Commitment to Extraordinary Innovation

At Falco, We have always dreamt of building the best eBike components and systems in the world with a perfect balance of design, style, and unmatched performance. Falco symbolizes Innovation and technological leadership. Our team shares the passion of extraordinary excellence and the pursuit of perfection. Precision, Innovation, and quality are the most prominent features of our philosophy. Unique products with a distinctive design and remarkable technical features result from our extensive research and development. Individuality and extraordinary technical performance characterize Falco's components. Our stringent quality management and hard test and qualification program guarantee the highest customer satisfaction.

Carbon Footprint, Commuting and Fitness

A Falco-equipped electric bike ride emits 95% less CO2 per mile when compared to a mid-sized passenger car. Electric bikes and light electric vehicles offer us the most significant potential of reducing greenhouse emissions and our dependence on fossil fuels. However, there are five major problems with the existing technology for electric bikes –highly inefficient design, small range, lack of high efficiency, high-speed commuting, and lack of integration with third-party apps. Falco's technology diminishes these factors significantly.

 

1. Better portability (i.e., less weight),
2. More range (i.e., more efficiency),
3. Drastic reduction in pedaling difficulty (i.e., zero freewheeling resistance),
4. More top speed (i.e., more power),
5. Better hill climbing ability (i.e., more torque)
6. Integrated social fitness and cycling apps (ZWIFT, TrainerRoad, etc.)

 

Above are excellent benefits over existing eBike technologies. Falco's technology incorporates significant breakthroughs in electric drive design, motor inverter architecture, motor control, and battery management methods while incorporating wireless communication.

 

Technology

After extensive market study, research, and development, Falco's patented direct drive electric technology has been developed. Falco's technology uses a unique five-phase electromagnetic arrangement, achieving a significant reduction in eDrive weight, an increase in efficiency, a reduction of pedaling resistance to near zero, and a substantial growth in power and torque density.

Falco's wireless command console technology uses low-power ANT+ wireless communication with integrated eBike, bicycle, and fitness functions.

Falco's eBike components have precise power and torque control features, a PC diagnostic interface, a detachable, sleek, compact, pocket-size command console, an LCD backlight, regeneration, six cycling modes, six fitness modes, turbo mode, security mode, etc. 

Falco's technology uses an original electromagnetic architecture with reduced weight, ensuring high power density, torque density, and system efficiency, resulting in more range. The eDrive controller is integrated into the interior to improve efficiency, reduce cost, and save space. Highly advanced software controls use cost-effective torque and speed algorithms with minimum battery consumption for smooth acceleration from a standstill.