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Upgrading the U500

2017 Nov 30th

Owners of the U500 love their bikes.  The battery range is huge, and the bikes just work, every day, rain or shine.  I spotted this one outside the grocery store just the other day.


Wouldn't it be nice to also have a dashboard speed and distance display, a little more power and speed, and maybe a pedal assist function on the U500?

To this end I am developing a kit that gives you the following:

  • Top speed increased by 7-10 km/h.
  • Hill climbing speed increased by 20-40%.
  • Faster acceleration.
  • Sine wave controller makes the motor quieter and more efficient.
  • LED display replaced by an LCD digital dashboard with more accurate battery remaining display, speed, Amp Hours consumed, Watts, and odometer. Plus it has advanced features like a display of your watt hours per kilometer, how many charge cycles, etc.
  • Provides a power plug at the handlebars to use for lighting, USB outlet, sound system or ???
  • Optional torque sensing pedal assist.

The Phaserunner programmable FOC sine wave motor controller

The Cycle Analyst V3 digital dashboard


The kit would also include a 3 way switch to limit power output of the motor or your speed to extend the range for longer trips. This way you can use the extra power just when you need it.

The disadvantage of going faster is of course decreased range at those higher speeds and powers, but that's a choice you can make with this kit, based on the distance you need to travel.


Cost would be about 600.00 CAD for this quality made in Canada motor controller and display. Installation would be fairly simple, requiring no special tools, and would take no more than 45 minutes.

The addition of the torque sensing pedal assist would involve replacing the cartridge bearing in the bottom bracket, drilling a small hole in the frame, and running an extra wire, and would cost about 200.00 extra for the parts. It would turn the bike into a pedelec, in other words you just pedal normally, and the motor assists in proportion to your pedaling effort. The throttle would be retained as well.



I am looking for feedback from U500 owners to gauge the amount of interest in a kit like this.  Please contact me at david@hilleater.ca to express your interest.

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