Charger Factory - 2020

The new Charger is the E.P.O. bike we all need. If you lust after a hardcore e-bike but think the ambition of the Surge is a little over the top then the Charger is the one for you.

Updated for 2020, the second generation Charger incorporates the new Shimano 8035 battery technology whihc has allowed us to revise of the ergonics of power assist controls.

Think of a it as a re-inforced Five with extra horsepower at the touch of a button. Think of a Five with a charging port and you'll see where the name comes from. We love the Charger - keep the battery topped up and it's the e-bike that's always ready to go. Confident handling and the kind of trail 'pop' that you expect from an Orange - but with added oomph. Sessioning the local woods or lapping your favourite trail centres, the Charger will power you to the top of your favorite tracks time after time. With its 504Wh power cell there's plenty of juice in the tank to go boost and play hard and fast, or just enjoy the extra spinning up those longer climbs in eco mode for longer rides out. 

Construction

LIke it's bigger sibling the Surge, the Charger ’s revised construction and shape is one of the biggest leaps forward over its predecessor, revisions to the front triangle in both construction and tubing profile have helped improve the bike's stiffness while still remaining compliant enough that the bike isn’t harsh, the new downtube is substantially slimmer and has a much more organic profile that the one that went before it.

While the rear swingarm has taken cues from our 327 DH bike in its profile, this has been done to help deal with the large amounts of torque being produced by the motor, the additional overall weight of the bike and the fact that this bike acts like your own personal uplift vehicle where descents are the order of the day.

The final piece of the puzzle was to have a battery that was easily removable. Hearing of riders doing “double battery rides” is very much a reality and we wanted a system that allowed this to happen as easily as possible. The battery is now removable with the use of just a key, so there are no more bolts to undo and it should take a matter of seconds to swap. Second batteries will be available from Orange and will come with the protective cover as standard.

THE DRIVE UNIT

We've chosen to work with Shimano, using the E8000 pedal assist system. The features it offers work extremely well for us.
Due to the size of the drive unit, no change to bike geometry is necessary. The E-bike you see here is the exact same geometry as our Alpine 6 model.

The power is delivered when the rider starts pedalling. We've found with the Shimano E8000 unit the power is smooth and controllable, even in boost mode. This is crucial on the technical terrain we love to ride. 

Unlike other drive units on the market, the Shimano E8000 crankset has the same Q-factor as the human powered cranks you are used to, this means no awkward changes to your pedalling position. This drive unit also has a zero-drag feature, so as you surge past the assisted power, often into descents, all of your pedal input goes into the drive, rather than dragging the motor's "gearbox". This gives a really responsive feel, when you're hitting those high-velocity descents. You soon forget you're riding an E-bike until the assist kicks in again to help power you up the next climb.  

TECHNICAL SPECS

Here are the technical specifications of the Shimano E8000 drive unit.

PEDAL ASSIST MODES

All three support modes will assist until 16mph.

• ECO - Riding support while enabling maximum range
• TRAIL - Gradual support for encouraging sportive riding
• BOOST - Full support for maximum boost and uncompromised climbing

• WALK ASSIST - As additional mode, walk assist can be easily enabled with the assist switch

COMPACT CONCEPT

Short chainstays (shorter chainstay length ensuring better manoeuvrability)
Narrow Q-factor of 177mm (compact and lightweight design for better handling with same Q-factor as current Shimano XT)

PERFORMANCE

Maximum power: 500 W
Nominal power: 250 W
Maximum torque: 70 Nm

WEIGHT OF DRIVE UNIT

Under 3 kg

LI-ION BATTERY

Integrated version (504Wh)
Charging: 80% after 2,5 hrs / 5 hrs from 0 to 100%
Battery life: 1,000 cycles