A guide to multi-motor (2WD and 3WD) ebike drive systems

This will Justin's 2nd live stream video tutorial after the Spezi talk and will focus on the design, optimization, and wiring hookup for ebikes and trikes using more than one motor.

There are many situations where multiple hub motors or the combination of a hub motor and a mid-drive motor can be ideal for ebike propulsion. Most often this is implemented when one alone won't have enough power, but it's also useful for traction purposes to get all-wheel drive, for scenarios where vehicle geometry requires it (e.g. Christiana style cargo trikes with an IGH on the rear), and finally for having the best of both worlds (e.g. mid+hub motor) and built-in redundancy on long distance trips.

However, running dual motors also adds complication to the wiring and controls system and there are many part selections details to consider for seamless operation. We will go over in some detail the various wiring strategies that can be used to effectively run multiple motors from a single throttle or torque/PAS sensor device.