This Startup Is Reinventing The Bike Chain And Ditching Metal Links For Carbon Fiber

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California-based startup VEER is on a mission to completely eliminate chains on bikes, motorcycles, and all small vehicles. The company reportedly developed a new type of drive system that ditches the need for high maintenance, failure prone chain drives.

But to become the new light drivetrain standard, it would need to overcome some key barriers preventing more widespread adoption. VEER is hoping to break down those barriers with its new belt design. 

The VEER Split Belt Drive is the brainchild of Founder and transmissions systems engineer Sean Hacking. The patent-pending carbon fiber belt drive system was developed to have the same lifespan as the vehicle it powers and require zero maintenance, saving up to 75% in operating costs.

In 2016, after suffering a near-fatal crash caused by sudden chain failure in the middle of a busy intersection, Hacking set out to build solutions to a problem that has plagued him and millions of others since the invention of motor bikes and “safety bicycles” in the 1800’s. The term 'safety bicycle' was used in the 1880s for any alternative to the penny-farthing. The front and rear wheel were not necessarily the same size. Later, historians began to use the term in a more restricted way for the design that was a direct ancestor to most modern bicycles.

The problem with traditional drive components like chains is they fail frequently and need constant maintenance and replacement. This problem is made much worse by the increased usage and power of electric motors, especially in shared use applications.

For example, shared eBikes are seeing way more miles in a much shorter amount of time compared to the average bike. Traditional components like chains just don’t hold up, often needing full replacement every 1,000 miles, which can add up to a big expense.

“Most of us who rode bikes as kids can remember a chain falling off, getting caught, or not shifting properly. It’s not just a problem for kids; if you are going to use these as actual vehicles for getting around instead of as toys, they need to be as reliable as your car. That means using better components,” explained Hacking.

Belt drives have been around for decades. Some of the first motorcycles Harley-Davidson Inc. HOG ever manufactured, way back in the early 1900s, used leather or rubber belt drives. However, as engines became more powerful, the leather and rubber belts available back then didn’t hold up, so steel chains began to take their place. Those chains soon became the standard across all light vehicles, whether engine-powered or not. 

The incredible strength of modern carbon fiber technology has changed the equation.

Now, chain drive dominance is starting to be challenged as manufacturers introduce belts based on carbon fiber to the market. The quieter, smoother, more durable new belt system has built up a solid fan base. Today, Harley-Davidson, along with leading electric motorcycle manufacturer Zero Motorcycles and others, use belt drives almost exclusively due to their durability, low maintenance, and silent operation. 

“These systems are much more advanced than the fiberglass and rubber timing belts often found in car engines. However, it has been a challenge to integrate them properly as drive systems in vehicles. Split Belt aims to eliminate that barrier to adoption by dropping into existing bikes and vehicles without modifications.” says Hacking.

Belt drives today are only single speed, affecting efficiency and reducing battery range. Adding a separate gearbox is not usually worth the complexity and cost.

An upcoming feature of the Split Belt system is gear shifting integrated right into the belt drive itself, giving higher system efficiency and performance. For electric vehicles like Tesla TSLA or Zero, that would mean the driving range and acceleration can be extended by up to 15% for a given motor and battery, a significant improvement.

While VEER is currently targeting the multibillion dollar eBike and light motorcycle market, the global power transmission market is much larger, and VEER plans to enter that when they become a major player in vehicle components.

“Globally, electrification of light vehicles will have a bigger impact on urban transportation and sustainability than electrification of passenger cars like Tesla. There are many more bikes and motorcycles in the world than cars, they are dramatically more efficient, and they take up dramatically less space” the company says.

Counting 8 vehicle manufacturers as customers, including large Dutch eBike maker Multicycle, VEER has sold over $1M in Split Belt Drives and shipped thousands of units to manufacturers and consumers.

 The company has raised $1.4 million and has two patents pending. It plans to scale production and launch multiple new products in 2022, including its integrated gear shifting system.

“We’ve already proven the market is ready to make this switch. Our plan now is to ramp production and start launching Split Belt on larger brands.” Hacking said.

With governments investing billions on sustainability and alternative transportation initiatives globally, this is the time for the Light EV industry to start adopting more reliable components that were built for electric power. Companies like Honda HMC, Yamaha 7272, Trek could end up as VEER partners in the future.

“Our Split Belt Drive is a durable solution to problems with metal chains,” it said. “It is up to 15% more efficient, safer, and 4X more reliable than chains.”

As VEER looks to seize this opportunity, it’s raising additional capital from public investors with its latest equity campaign to fund scaling production and distribution. The raise closes April 20th.

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