[FIXED] Orca 2.0 ebike sold by Mobot - major issue with the product

Costello

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UPDATE 05/07/2022
Great news! the issue described below has been fixed by Mobot. If you experience this issue, bring your bike to Mobot and they will fix within the hour.

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Hey everyone,

I got some feedback for anyone wanting or trying to purchase the Orca 2.0 e-bike sold by Mobot
https://mobot.sg/shop/electric-bicycles-ebike/orca-electric-bicycle/
Before reading further, I would like to state that Mobot's service has been excellent and friendly. Anything that follows this shouldn't reflect on Mobot but on the Orca product itself.

I have recently obtained my Orca 2.0 ebike and have been using it for a few days. The specs are excellent and so far I can say that everything works as advertised.

There is however one major issue with the ebike, something that they don't tell you and that doesn't appear on any spec sheet.

1) First, you need to know that the pedal assist comes very late. You have to pedal for about 5 seconds until it triggers. That's an issue when going uphill, but this is not the worst part.

2) You have 3 speed levels like on every ebike. No issue with levels 1 and 2 which are quite slow (max speed 18kph), but when you use the highest speed level, that is where the issue comes in. The powerful battery and motor will propel you to the maximum speed of 25kph quite quickly - great acceleration power here. However, as soon as you reach 25kph, the pedal assist completely stops for at least 5 seconds. If you're on a flat surface you will go back to 15-17kph, and if you're going uphill it can be a full stop.

Which means -- yes you are reading this correctly -- you can't maintain a constant speed of 25kph the whole ride. You'll reach 25kph then back to 15kph then back to 25kph then back to 15kph, and so on. Riding like that feels as ridiculous as it sounds.

The only way to maintain a stable speed (on speed level 3) is to pedal very delicately and to maintain a speed below 25kph which is extremely difficult and impractical. After 4 days with it I am still unable to do so over a distance. Best I can do is 20 to 22kph and then I accidentally hit 25kph... and the pedal assist stops again.

Now imagine what happened just a few minutes ago as I was on the road. I was crossing a big intersection and there was a bus behind me. I accidentally hit 25kph and the bike slowed down to 15kph in the middle of the intersection. The bus behind me almost hit me and honked at me (understandably!). This keeps happening, it's almost impossible to maintain constant speed unless I accept to go slowly, at speed levels 1 or 2.

If I had known this fact, I would certainly not have purchased the bike and I wouldn't have wasted 3 months waiting for it (preordered it back in February). I had tried it at the Mobot shop but over a short distance and couldn't hit 25 kph there, so I didn't realize the issue back then. I am considering selling it but in all honesty I can't recommend it to any buyer.

This is frustrating because apart from this major issue, the ebike is nearly perfect. If there was any setting which allowed to make it work like other ebikes (maintaining constant speed of 25kph, legally) the Orca would probably be the best PAB on the Singapore market. I have tried many models and I was anticipating this one with a lot of excitement. :confused:
 
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Acextreme

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Hey everyone,

I got some feedback for anyone wanting or trying to purchase the Orca 2.0 e-bike sold by Mobot
https://mobot.sg/shop/electric-bicycles-ebike/orca-electric-bicycle/
Before reading further, I would like to state that Mobot's service has been excellent and friendly. Anything that follows this shouldn't reflect on Mobot but on the Orca product itself.

I have recently obtained my Orca 2.0 ebike and have been using it for a few days. The specs are excellent and so far I can say that everything works as advertised.

There is however one major issue with the ebike, something that they don't tell you and that doesn't appear on any spec sheet.

1) First, you need to know that the pedal assist comes very late. You have to pedal for about 5 seconds until it triggers. That's an issue when going uphill, but this is not the worst part.

2) You have 3 speed levels like on every ebike. No issue with levels 1 and 2 which are quite slow (max speed 18kph), but when you use the highest speed level, that is where the issue comes in. The powerful battery and motor will propel you to the maximum speed of 25kph quite quickly - great acceleration power here. However, as soon as you reach 25kph, the pedal assist completely stops for at least 5 seconds. If you're on a flat surface you will go back to 15-17kph, and if you're going uphill it can be a full stop.

Which means -- yes you are reading this correctly -- you can't maintain a constant speed of 25kph the whole ride. You'll reach 25kph then back to 15kph then back to 25kph then back to 15kph, and so on. Riding like that feels as ridiculous as it sounds.

The only way to maintain a stable speed (on speed level 3) is to pedal very delicately and to maintain a speed below 25kph which is extremely difficult and impractical. After 4 days with it I am still unable to do so over a distance. Best I can do is 20 to 22kph and then I accidentally hit 25kph... and the pedal assist stops again.

Now imagine what happened just a few minutes ago as I was on the road. I was crossing a big intersection and there was a bus behind me. I accidentally hit 25kph and the bike slowed down to 15kph in the middle of the intersection. The bus behind me almost hit me and honked at me (understandably!). This keeps happening, it's almost impossible to maintain constant speed unless I accept to go slowly, at speed levels 1 or 2.

If I had known this fact, I would certainly not have purchased the bike and I wouldn't have wasted 3 months waiting for it (preordered it back in February). I had tried it at the Mobot shop but over a short distance and couldn't hit 25 kph there, so I didn't realize the issue back then. I am considering selling it but in all honesty I can't recommend it to any buyer.

This is frustrating because apart from this major issue, the ebike is nearly perfect. If there was any setting which allowed to make it work like other ebikes (maintaining constant speed of 25kph, legally) the Orca would probably be the best PAB on the Singapore market. I have tried many models and I was anticipating this one with a lot of excitement. :confused:
Hey, the maintenance of the 25kph speed was actually the most important consideration and I called MOBOT regarding this issue and they told me the issue has been fixed; the guy whom I spoke with couldn't give me the specifics but I would reckon it's probably a firmware update or something of that sort. Had you tried contacting them and see if that can be fixed?

Hopefully, whatever they did to fix that also includes a fix to the lethargic nature of the pedal assist. Do feedback here because I believe this is quite a major issue.
 

Costello

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Hey, the maintenance of the 25kph speed was actually the most important consideration and I called MOBOT regarding this issue and they told me the issue has been fixed; the guy whom I spoke with couldn't give me the specifics but I would reckon it's probably a firmware update or something of that sort. Had you tried contacting them and see if that can be fixed?

Hopefully, whatever they did to fix that also includes a fix to the lethargic nature of the pedal assist. Do feedback here because I believe this is quite a major issue.
hello, OK I will try contacting them and see if they can fix it. But I am doubtful, I am not getting my hopes up at all. I'll keep you in touch.

EDIT: I called and they asked me to bring it to the store. Now I am really getting my hopes up...
 
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Costello

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Hey, the maintenance of the 25kph speed was actually the most important consideration and I called MOBOT regarding this issue and they told me the issue has been fixed; the guy whom I spoke with couldn't give me the specifics but I would reckon it's probably a firmware update or something of that sort. Had you tried contacting them and see if that can be fixed?

Hopefully, whatever they did to fix that also includes a fix to the lethargic nature of the pedal assist. Do feedback here because I believe this is quite a major issue.
They repaired the issue! @Acextreme thank you so much for letting me know about this!
I confirm that the bike can now maintain constant speed near 25kph (the speed meter says 24.5kph but thats good enough)
And to answer your question, yes they also improved the response rate of the speed assist. It kicks in a lot faster! That is an unexpected surprise. I wonder if both issues are actually related.

In conclusion it is now my opinion that the Orca 2.0 is now the best model on the market in Singapore. And Thank you very much to Mobot for the excellent customer service!
 

Winwinlim

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They repaired the issue! @Acextreme thank you so much for letting me know about this!
I confirm that the bike can now maintain constant speed near 25kph (the speed meter says 24.5kph but thats good enough)
And to answer your question, yes they also improved the response rate of the speed assist. It kicks in a lot faster! That is an unexpected surprise. I wonder if both issues are actually related.

In conclusion it is now my opinion that the Orca 2.0 is now the best model on the market in Singapore. And Thank you very much to Mobot for the excellent customer service!
Hi @Costello is your orca blue color with abit of mud I saw someone riding a orca today I was there to service the speed and pedal assist so I was wondering if it's you
 

KlavierX

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i use the kol max - recently see this guy struggle a bit to go on flat road... on orca 2.

i like kol max battery last long
 

KlavierX

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but mine first week never use much already got battery problem HAHA quite suay
 

Costello

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i use the kol max - recently see this guy struggle a bit to go on flat road... on orca 2.

i like kol max battery last long
The kol max looks good and the battery has great specs indeed. But still lower than the Orca
Comparison:
- Orca: 48V 17.5AH
- Kol max: 48V 14.4AH
(why it matters: https://www.ebikekit.com/blogs/news/electric-bike-batteries-explained )

Also the Kol max the design appears to be for girls; not saying that's necessarily a bad thing but historically if you compare to girls bikes - it's 1:1 the same shape and form factor.
And also... well it's not foldable.
Plus, the wheels are standard, I largely prefer the Orca's. Took my Orca to the green corridor a few times and it was amazing (that explains the mud on mine lol).
 

Acextreme

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They repaired the issue! @Acextreme thank you so much for letting me know about this!
I confirm that the bike can now maintain constant speed near 25kph (the speed meter says 24.5kph but thats good enough)
And to answer your question, yes they also improved the response rate of the speed assist. It kicks in a lot faster! That is an unexpected surprise. I wonder if both issues are actually related.

In conclusion it is now my opinion that the Orca 2.0 is now the best model on the market in Singapore. And Thank you very much to Mobot for the excellent customer service!
You are welcome, very nice to know those two issues were fixable. How fast did the speed assist kicks in now? Quarter or half a pedal cycle?
 

Costello

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You are welcome, very nice to know those two issues were fixable. How fast did the speed assist kicks in now? Quarter or half a pedal cycle?
something between that yeah, it kicks in almost immediately, and the acceleration is more progressive. Originally the speed assist kicked in late but the acceleration was quite sudden and drastic (not that it was necessarily a bad thing).

Overall the ebike feels very much enjoyable now, I have done several long rides with it and it's just as perfect as it was promised on paper. I am going to get my friend to buy one soon.
 

fwah23

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Do any of you know if they can fix this same issue with the mobot orca 1st gen? I thought this was just controller sucking but actually the way my bike operates is very similar to what you described
 
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