Driven Technologies Inc. unveiled a new chapter in its story at Eurobike Frankfurt this week, showcasing a new all-in-one e-bike drive system dubbed "Orbit Drive."

Some may remember seeing the wild-looking CeramicSpeed DrivEn drivetrain concept, which first appeared in 2018 and won an award at Eurobike that year.The DrivEn drivetrain is carbon fiber driveshaft and ceramic bearings, resulting in an ultra-low friction drivetrain.

After separating from CeramicSpeed in April 2021, the company became Driven Technologies Inc. under the direction of Driven inventor Jason Smith. The company then sought to raise funds through equity crowdfunding to help develop and eventually bring the product itself to market.

Driven seemed to change lanes a bit and exhibited an all-in-one e-bike drive system at Eurobike; its design, dubbed Orbit Drive, was inspired by hybrid cars and trucks and is a game changer in the e-bike segment Driven says it will be a game changer. [The Orbit Drive is a compact 4.6-kilogram drive system with all associated gears, electronics, and a power delivery system that delivers power to the rear wheels via a driveshaft.According to Driven, the all-in-one design allows the e-bike e-bike manufacturers and fleet bike operators will appreciate the system because it eliminates the need to specify various components to assemble a drivetrain package.

Orbit Drive is claimed to bring the highest level of efficiency, longer battery range (which has been the goal of the system from the beginning), a more comfortable riding experience, and almost zero maintenance in a bolt-on package for e-bike manufacturers.

A drive called the planetary gear set was perfected by automotive brands such as Toyota, Ford, and Stearantis. Inspired by this technology, after stealth prototyping, Driven decided to use a variable speed "planetary gear bevel differential configuration" aptly named the Orbit system.Driven claims that with this system, the two rider inputs - rider and electric e-bike motor seamlessly engage to provide power to the rear wheel

and Driven claims that this system allows the rider and the electric e-bike motor, the two rider inputs, to seamlessly engage and provide power to the rear wheel.

The Orbit Drive itself is a ball-like mechanism with four toothed gears that combine to form a spherical shape. They claim.

A standout feature is the claimed 10,000-mile maintenance interval because the system is completely enclosed; Driven says that in addition to longer maintenance intervals, the Orbit Drive offers a smoother ride and features stepless shifting automatic and manual modes, and is capable of providing up to 90 Nm of power assistance, according to the company. The system is also said to use regenerative braking, but no further details on this feature are known at this time.

The Orbit system will be available in three variants when it is launched. Direct Drive - a fully enclosed system using a shaft drive to power the rear wheels from the Orbit, or a partially enclosed system with the usual chain drive and belt drive options connected to the Orbit unit.

The story of Driven Technology has been an interesting one since the first iteration was presented at Eurobike in 2019. However, there is no product on the market yet in any form, and Cyclingnews understands that Driven is getting close to this goal, although it does not currently have a product available for sale; Driven says it will be competitively priced, but the price of the Orbit system is also unknown at this time

When we spoke with Driven in 2021, Driven's Jason Smith explained that it will probably be two to three years before a Driven-powered bike is available in stores. Nothing has been announced yet, but with the continued growth of the e-bike sector, perhaps this new Orbit redesign reflects the most practical and effective way to bring Driven-powered systems and bikes to market. Although Driven is not alone in this area, although brands such as Pinion and Valeo also produce gearbox technology for e-bikes.

We asked Driven to comment on their new Orbit system.