Empulse Motor Efficiency
The Empulse's electric motor has peak efficiency and peak power at about the same RPM. Operating the motor at peak efficiency gives the best range for a given speed. In order to get the most range, the motor should be kept as close to the optimal RPM as possible, selecting the gear that achieves that.
The Empulse has two modes of operation, and the RPM value for peak efficiency depends on the mode.
- Sport Mode
- 5000 RPM
- Normal Mode
- 7000 RPM
That means that when operating in Sport Mode, the bike will get the most range if the motor kept near 5000 RPM, while in Normal Mode, the most range will be achieved near 7000 RPM.
Note that the shift light will start to light up at 6000 RPM, so when running in Normal Mode at peak efficiency, expect the shift light to be lit.
Brian Wissman:
You should see the shift lights on the dash progressively light up from left to right after you pass about 6,000 rpm.
One of our Systems Engineers pointed something out to me recently that I probably have not presented well in the past - 5k is a good target rpm for "Sport" mode, but "Normal" mode moves peak power out closer to 7k rpm, so it is actually beneficial (for performance and range) to ride at higher rpm in normal mode. The slightly reduced torque will also make gear selection more critical.
References
http://brammoforum.com/index.php?topic=1757.msg13646#msg13646
