{"id":169256,"date":"2025-04-21T13:11:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-21T19:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tecscience.tec.mx\/en\/?p=169256"},"modified":"2025-04-23T09:29:56","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T15:29:56","slug":"electric-bycicle-and-wheel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tecscience.tec.mx\/en\/cities-and-prosperous-communities\/electric-bycicle-and-wheel\/","title":{"rendered":"Made in Mexico: A Wheel That can Transform a Normal Bicycle into an Electric One"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In Mexico City, traffic is getting worse and it does not seem like it will slow down anytime soon, as the number of motorized vehicles increases every year. Electric bicycles could be a sustainable<\/a> solution<\/strong>, especially if they are produced locally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2022, there were more than 6 million automobiles in this metropolis, with one car, motorcycle, van, or truck for every 1.4 citizens, causing many problems, including increased air pollution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, citizens have been encouraged to use non-motorized vehicles<\/strong>, such as bicycles. However, although they are a green alternative, when it comes to traveling long distances<\/a> or on steep terrain, they may not be the best option. This is where electric bicycles come in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Our business is converting these vehicles into electric ones at a low cost and with technology that provides data to optimize their use,” says Jos\u00e9 Huertas<\/a>, research professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, from the School of Engineering and Sciences<\/a>, Monterrey Campus, from Tec de Monterrey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Huertas and Jorge Huerta<\/a>, Dean of the Center for Research in Applied Science and Advanced Technology<\/a> (CICATA) at the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), are leading a project \u2013called WheelTech\u2013 focused on creating a wheel with an electric motor that can be easily installed on a traditional bicycle to transform it into an electric one<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The wheel integrates an electric motor and controller, batteries, sensors and a GPS into a single unit. Although it sounds simple, the wheel and controller have complex know-how<\/em> that has taken years of scientific research to develop. So far, its technological maturity level is TRL 5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We are working on a test bench that will allow us to observe how the controller and wheel behave, in order to make improvements and adaptations, so that it can reach TRL 7,” says Huerta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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