Test / Drive: We were finally able to take a closer look at the DJI Avinox drive. In addition to our usual bench tests, the newcomer also had to face the top dogs in extensive practical tests. Even if the Avinox still shows a few small weaknesses, it is an impressive entry into the market and should cause quite a stir.
The Chinese manufacturer DJI, which is best known for its drones, entered the e-bike market with a bang in the summer. The Avinox drive left people open-mouthed with its key technical data: up to 120 Nm of maximum torque with a weight of just 2,55 kg seems almost unbelievable. The DJI Avinox is currently only installed in one e-bike: the Amflow PL Carbon, an e-mountain bike with 160 or 150 mm suspension travel and an equally impressive weight of between 21,5 and 19,5 kg - depending on the selected equipment and battery size.
Impressive performance on the test bench
The measurements at our standard measuring points of 250 W and 100 W input power immediately make several things clear: Firstly, it shows that the Avinox is one of the most powerful motors on the market and is only beaten by the TQ HPR120s, which is almost twice as heavy. The large discrepancy between the two measuring points also shows how progressive the tuning of the turbo support level is; with all the power that the drive has at its disposal, this only unfolds (in the factory setting) when the rider also puts the appropriate amount of power onto the pedal. A small side note: We cannot achieve the 850W maximum power communicated by DJI with our parameters.
Our power curve, which compares input and output power, provides more insight into the power development. As expected, the Avinox rewards high input power with greater support; this means that some other drives with significantly lower maximum power (e.g. Shimano EP801) deliver more power with low rider power than the Avinox. This tuning should lead to a dynamic and sporty response; those who would like more support with low power can adjust the support levels accordingly using the smartphone app. Another novelty is the fact that the Avinox also delivers more power beyond the 250 W rider power - fit riders in particular should benefit from this on steep sections.
DJI Avinox benefits from high cadence
A fresh perspective is also provided by looking at the cadence curve we recorded. This is done at an average pedaling power of 130 W, so it does not represent a regular scenario at the upper end of the performance spectrum. This shows that the Avinox benefits from a high cadence and can deliver its highest performance here, but thanks to its large reserves it is on par with or above other mid-engines even at a low cadence.
In addition to the normal turbo mode, the DJI Avinox also offers a boost that can be activated by pressing the arrow button on the remote for a longer period of time. The motor then remains in this state for 30 seconds before "falling back" to the previously selected support level. The boost can be activated as often as you like. In this mode, DJI communicates a maximum output of 1000 W and up to 120 Nm of maximum torque. Although we were unable to confirm this performance promise, the DJI Avinox's boost does offer a measurable performance boost. However, the extent of this boost varies. Our guess: The motor mobilizes all reserves in the relevant situation, depending on the temperature of the motor, the charge level of the battery and the selected support level. In most cases, the additional power in our measurements was between 50 and 100 watts.
Derating: Does the Avinox have a heat problem?
Things get interesting when you look at the derating of the DJI Avinox. Derating is the term for throttling the motor under sustained load. Given its compact dimensions, low weight and impressive performance data, the powerhouse could certainly lose some ground here. However, in our standard measurement over 15 minutes with 250 W continuous load on the pedal and a simulated 10% gradient, the Avinox was quite unimpressed. Although slight fluctuations in performance of around 5% can be observed over the entire time, these are hardly noticeable in practice. Towards the end of the measurement, however, we did notice a small drop in performance, which tempted us to let the measurement continue.
After another seven minutes, a total of 22, the motor switched off completely after a short, drastic reduction in power. The display showed a red dot and various error messages. It was only after around 15 minutes that we were able to get the motor to work again. The same measurement was similar in the less powerful trail support level, but here the Avinox lasted around half an hour. Using the boost function, however, the running time was reduced to around 20 minutes.
With the Avinox, DJI seems to be taking a slightly different approach than Bosch, Shimano and Co. Previous motors reduce their power early on and then remain at this slightly lower power level to prevent them from shutting down. DJI apparently decided to give the drive more or less full power - until it shuts down completely.
However, these findings should be viewed from two important perspectives:
- This is a test bench measurement under very high power. We were unable to reproduce this behavior in practice. The low temperatures may be playing a role at the moment - but we will only be able to say for sure after more experience has been gained. At the moment, the shutdown is still a purely theoretical scenario under laboratory conditions.
- Since we only had one test bike with a 600 Wh battery available, we cannot rule out that the Amflow PL with an 800 Wh battery lasts longer or does not have to switch off at all. In addition to the motor, the high energy consumption from the battery could also be a reason for this behavior.
Soft shutdown and fast charger
DJI also seems to be taking a different approach when it comes to switching off at around the 25 km/h limit. The Avinox begins to slowly reduce its power quite early – at around 22 km/h – until it stops supporting completely at just over 25 km/h. Almost all other mid-engines provide support for longer and then reduce the power more quickly and more strongly. Here, pushing the legal limits to the limit is countered by driving behavior that is as gentle and natural as possible.
We carried out the energy consumption measurements both under laboratory conditions and in practice. Even if the principle "more power also means more consumption" proves true again, the Avinox shows slight advantages in the uphill measurements compared to comparably powerful motors - at least on the test bench. In practice, the increased consumption was clear compared to the Bosch CX Gen 5 - of course with correspondingly stronger support. So if you want to get a long range out of the 600 or 800 Wh battery of the DJI Avinox, you should either use the Eco mode or customize the support accordingly via the Avinox app.
The DJI Avinox drive system not only raises the bar in terms of performance data - the same applies to the chargers. The Amflow PL Carbon comes with a compact 12A (!) charger. The performance is therefore three times that of a regular Bosch 4A charger. We also measured this: Our 600 Wh battery was charged from 2 to 15% after 0:100 hours. It took less than an hour to charge the battery halfway. Strong! For comparison: A Bosch Powertube 600 needed over four hours to fully charge. Even if the charger in conjunction with the 600 Wh battery does not quite reach the promised 12A, the charging speed is significantly faster than that of the competition. It is not yet possible to say whether this will damage the batteries in the long term. DJI makes similar statements to its competitors in this regard: After 500 charging cycles, at least 80% of the capacity should still be available.
Strong Periphery
As of today, the DJI Avinox is available with two batteries with 600 or 800 Wh capacity. Both offer a very high energy density and weigh just 2,8 kg or 3,7 kg. The Amflow PL Carbon has the energy storage units built into the frame, but we hope to see removable solutions for greater flexibility in the future.
The drive system also excels when it comes to display, operation and connectivity. The brain of the system is located in the top tube in the form of a bright color display, which remains easy to read even in the sun thanks to its slightly matte surface. It is operated either directly via touch inputs or via the optional, wireless control unit on the handlebars. Two of these are included with the Amflow PL Carbon, one for the right and one for the left side of the handlebars. One allows you to change the support, activate the boost and the push assist. The other control unit basically replaces the touch function. The display itself is clear and highly customizable. During the test, however, slight inaccuracies in the indication of the battery level and the input power were noticed.
Integrated GPS and an LTE modem (the latter requires a SIM card for full functionality) allow the bike to be located via the Avinox app and provide the corresponding theft protection. Unfortunately, the short test period was not long enough to explore the app's diverse functions. However, we will do that soon.
The DJI Avinox drive on the Amflow PL Carbon in practice
In practice, DJI's first motor delivers just as impressive performance as in the lab: Despite its unbridled power, the Avinox always feels easy to control, control and dynamic. You never get the feeling of riding a motorcycle that many of the more powerful motors have shown in the past. Regardless of cadence and gradient, the response is impressive and even in difficult conditions our test bike rarely lost traction on the rear wheel. If that was the case, it was usually due to the sparsely profiled rear tire and not the Avinox. Its high performance makes conventional mid-engines look almost like light-assist units; the DJI Avinox masters even the steepest climbs with absolutely no problems - and at the same time produces impressively low noise levels.
In practice, we never heard more than a sonorous hum from the DJI motor. Sure, the drive is audible at full load, but it never pushes itself into the foreground in a disturbing way and is roughly on a par with the new Bosch CX Gen 5. Unfortunately, on the trail, loud rattling spoiled the fun of riding a little. Even if this was partly due to the lines and cables on our test bike, we suspect there was also slight motor rattling; however, we cannot say for sure at this point. You may have to wait until the DJI Avinox is available in other models.
