Comodule and Bafang Want to Advance Connectivity in Ebikes Through Cooperation

Drive manufacturer Bafang and connectivity specialist Comodule will be working together in the future. Both companies announced their cooperation in mid-October 2025. An initial project involves Bafang’s rear wheel hub motor systems. Ultimately, both end customers and ebike manufacturers are set to benefit.

Greater security through connectivity

Connectivity is one of the topics that will continue to gain importance for ebikes in the coming years. There is still plenty of room for new ideas in the interaction between ebike systems, apps and other digital applications. Comodule, for example, is focusing on the question of how ebikes can be effectively protected against theft with digital features.

The Estonian company has developed a digital immobiliser for selected Bafang drive systems which feature a motor in the rear wheel hub. As with other competitors, an app can be used to lock the ebike’s motor – either directly on the ebike or remotely. Thieves are then unable to switch on the drive, rendering the ebike worthless to them.

Better safe than sorry

While other solutions stop at this point, Comodule, like Also with its TM-B, goes one step further. The anti-theft protection also mechanically blocks the hub motor. Locking mechanisms integrated into the hub make it impossible to continue riding with this rear wheel. According to information from Comodule, criminals cannot bypass the lock by removing the IoT unit. The ebike is only ready to ride again after it has been unlocked by its owner. Even while criminals are tampering with the ebike and attempting to steal it, the system sends notifications via an app and attempts to deter the thieves with warning tones and light signals.

Solution aimed at ebike manufacturers and mobility service providers

Bafang has opened up its ebike systems even further for Comodule. This enables the latter not only to read information from the drives, but also to control them. Reading the data helps to evaluate ebike data – either individually or grouped into specific clusters. In this way, problems with ebikes can be quickly identified.

At the same time, this channel opens the door for over-the-air updates. Competitors such as Bosch have been using this option for some time to further develop existing systems in which e-bikes receive new functions and sometimes even more power via download. In addition, Comodule’s solution opens up the following further options for ebike manufacturers who equip their models with Bafang systems or providers of rental bikes whose fleet uses Bafang motors:

• collecting information on the use of motors and batteries, such as speed, cadence, selected assistance level, remaining battery capacity
• creating system diagnostics based on motor and battery temperatures
• determining error codes
• planning repairs
• changing settings on the ebike

It becomes almost a little creepy when you realise that with tools such as Comodule’s, the owner of a rental bike could, for example, remotely lock the vehicle if the subscription fee was not paid on time. This is also part of such data-based business opportunities.

Currently modest market share

At the moment, the cooperation between Comodule and Bafang is not having a huge impact on the e-bike market. According to Bafang, fewer than 50 ebike manufacturers worldwide currently integrate a rear wheel hub motor from the Chinese manufacturer. This is particularly the case for urban ebikes, e-cargo bikes, touring ebikes, and fat-tire ebikes. Partner Comodule is said to have connected more than 750,000 electrically assisted vehicles in total. Ampler is one of the users, for example. Like Comodule, the brand belongs to the Kõu Mobility Group. The new Ampler Curt features digital anti-theft protection made by Comodule.

Two examples of ebikes featuring the solution from Comodule and Bafang