Bosch Gen3 & Gen2 motors
Bosch Gen2 & Gen3
As far as e-bike drive systems are concerned, Bosch eBike Systems has established itself as the market leader throughout Europe. Founded in Stuttgart in 1886, Bosch today is primarily active as an automotive supplier and as a manufacturer of household appliances and electric tools. In 2009, the company entered the booming e-bike market with the founding of “Bosch eBike Systems”. In the same year, the first e-bike drive system was presented at the Eurobike bicycle trade fair. In 2011, the first Bosch e-bike drive went into serial production - and proved to be extremely successful. Over time, other Bosch e-bike drives were added. Today, Bosch systems are installed by over 50 leading European bicycle brands in their e-bikes.
All tuning tools for these engines in our shop.
About Bosch Gen2 and Gen3 e-bike motors
At the moment there are at least 4 or 5 different e-bike drive generations from Bosch: After the proven Bosch Classic Line (Gen1), Bosch launched 2 new drive systems in 2014, namely the Active Line and the Performance Line (both also called Gen2). With these two product lines, Bosch wanted to address different e-bike target groups: The Active Line (also available with coaster brake) was aimed more at comfort-oriented leisure and everyday cyclists, while the Performance Line with its powerful drive was primarily aimed at sporty riders. A special feature of the Active & Performance Line drives is the Bosch 3-sensor concept, which measures pedalling force, cadence and speed 1,000 times per second, so that you always get the optimum pedalling assistance. By the way, all Bosch e-bike drive units are mid-mounted motors.
In the 2016 model year, Bosch presented the Performance Line CX - the top model of the Bosch Performance Line series, which was especially designed for use on e-mountain bikes. The third generation (Gen3) followed in 2018: A revised version of the classic Active Line and the new Bosch Active Line Plus. In the meantime, there is already the 4th generation of Bosch drives called Bosch Gen4 / model year 2020. Since Bosch motors from Gen4 onwards are equipped with integrated anti-tuning software, we have a separate section in our shop for Bosch Gen4 e-bikes ("Bosch Gen4 motors"). Quite new is the "Bosch Smart System" from 2022, for which we also have attractive tuning solutions in our shop.
This section only deals with tuning tools for Bosch Gen2 and Gen3 motors.
Attention: Firmware version with anti-tuning detection
From firmware version 1.8.4.0 onwards, the anti-tuning detection is also included in e-bikes with Bosch Gen2 and Gen3 drives. For affected Bosch Gen2 and Gen3 e-bikes, tuning tools for "Bosch Gen4" motors are required!
The Bosch Active, Performance & CX Line drives at a glance:
Bosch Gen 2 motors
Bosch Active Line:
25 km/h / max. torque 48 Nm / available with derailleur or hub gears / with optional coaster function for the hub gear version.
Bosch Performance Line (MY15/20):
25 km/h (or 50 km/h in the "Speed" variant) / max. torque 63 Nm / max. pedal assistance 275% / support up to max.cadence: > 120 rpm.
Bosch Performance Line CX (MY15/20):
25 km/h / max. torque 75 Nm / max. pedal assistance 300% / support up to max. cadence: > 120 rpm.
Bosch Gen 3 motors
Bosch Active Line 2018:
25 km/h / max. torque 40 Nm / max. pedal assistance 250% / support up to max.cadence: 100 rpm.
Bosch Active Line Plus:
25 km/h / max. torque 50 Nm / max. pedal assistance 270% / support up to max.cadence: 105 rpm.
Bosch Performance Line (MY20):
25 km/h / max torque 65 Nm / max pedal assistance 300% / support up to max.cadence: > 120 rpm.
A small note from our side: As far as the allocation of the individual motors is concerned, opinions differ somewhat. Some experts classify the Bosch Active Line as Gen2, some as Gen3. Other experts, on the other hand, classify only the Active Line Plus as Gen3 in the narrower sense. In this context, however, this is irrelevant, as the same tuning tools work with all the motors listed - regardless of whether they are assigned to Gen2 or Gen3. Only if the Gen2 or Gen3 drives are equipped with a firmware version from 1.8.4.0 onwards you need tuning tools specifically for “Bosch Gen4”.
Gen3: Bosch Active Line Plus & Active Line 2018
For the 2018 season, Bosch eBike Systems presented two new drive systems, namely a revised version of the "Active Line" as well as the new "Active Line Plus" - often called the Gen3. Compared to the previous model, the new Active Line motors were more compact, lighter and, above all, quieter. This was made possible in particular by a newly developed gearbox that ensures particularly smooth and harmonious energy development. Another advantage of the new gearbox is that both drives can be used practically like normal bicycles without the motor - so there should be virtually no more motor-related pedalling resistance.
The "Active Line 2018" was designed for everyday use, i.e. for rides in the city or on flat terrain (torque 40 Nm / weight 2.9 kg). The "Active Line Plus", on the other hand, is somewhat more powerful and also well suited for use in hilly terrain or for longer tours (torque 50 Nm / weight 3.2 kg). According to our information, both drives are compatible with all current Bosch displays as well as with derailleur and hub gears.
All tuning products for Bosch Gen2 also work with Bosch Active Line Plus motors (Gen3). For this reason, we have combined Bosch Gen2 and Gen3 tuning tools.
Can Bosch motors of the 2nd and 3rd generation be optimised?
Yes, there are now a large number of highly recommended tuning solutions for Bosch Active and Performance Line as well as CX Line drives (Gen2). The tuning tools also work with the Bosch Active Line Plus (Gen3). You can find the best tuning tools in our shop.
Here we show you manufacturers who offer tuning tools for Bosch Gen2 and Gen3 e-bike motors:
