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Specter
A place where speed, comfort, and style come together.
Speed pedelecs, also known as high-speed bicycles, are on the rise, with rapidly growing demand and trend. Maarten from Specter was also looking for the right speed pedelec for his daily life, but despite the wide range of brands and models in this segment, there were still many aspects that didn’t meet his needs. Therefore, he decided to build his ultimate speed pedelec.
Specter builds speed pedelecs with a focus on reliability, speed, and comfort to enhance commuting and recreational experiences. Their goal is to create bikes that excel in all key areas, driving demand for alternative mobility solutions. Specter emphasizes innovation, sustainability, and ergonomics, designing technologies like a flexible saddle for better comfort. They target B2B customers, such as leasing companies and dealers, aiming to increase the bike market in Flanders from 18% to 30%.
Specter faced key technical challenges in building their speed pedelecs, particularly in electronics and firmware. To meet their high standards, they needed to optimize the stability of the DMC (Drive Motor Controller) and charging module. A fresh approach to circuit board design was necessary. Additionally, integrating a second motor required a comprehensive review of the electronic components and firmware.
Two years ago, Maarten from Specter met with VAEngineering to tackle the challenges in building key components. After discussing the issues, VAEngineering quickly proposed a solution, impressing Maarten with their expertise in delivering the right skills, technology, and knowledge for the project.
What made the collaboration successful was VAEngineering’s high involvement. They were responsive, motivated, and worked closely with Specter, with biweekly check-ins to review progress. Their active problem-solving and constant communication helped speed up the entire process.
One of the biggest challenges was passing the EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) tests. After multiple attempts, VAEngineering developed a new charging module within two weeks that passed the tests successfully. Aligning the software, hardware, and firmware was also crucial, requiring close collaboration and iterative development, where VAEngineering consistently provided the right technical solutions.
Thanks to the collaboration with VAEngineering, Specter made significant improvements to their speed pedelecs. The full integration of the second motor, combined with stable firmware, ensures that the bikes perform better and are more reliable.
Internal tests, followed by consumer tests, showed that the bikes now meet the high standards of both Specter and their customers. VAEngineering’s quick and efficient solutions led to time savings in the development process and cost reductions due to fewer defects and recalls.
The collaboration with VAEngineering has been excellent. They are always thinking along with us and offer quick solutions. Their expertise in electronics and firmware has been invaluable to our project. We look forward to working with them again in the future.
Thanks to our experience in a wide variety of electronics projects, we have everything we need to turn your idea into a user-friendly and functional final product.
