How a Slovak Bike Brand Helped Shape the New Panasonic Motor
15. October 2025
Back in 2021, we at Kellys were looking for an alternative
to the Shimano drive systems we had been using. Panasonic approached us with an
attractive offer — their system offered a great price-to-performance ratio and
genuine technological potential.
What started as a supplier relationship quickly grew into
something much bigger. Within a short time, Kellys became one of Panasonic’s
largest European partner in the e-bike segment. Through our collaboration,
Panasonic managed to establish its presence in Europe, largely thanks to the
volume of motors we purchased and our intent to integrate their technology into
our models.
When the previous generation of Panasonic motors launched, we helped them bring it to
European riders. Not long after, during one of our meetings, Panasonic
surprised us by presenting an entirely new generation of motors that was
planned for release in two years.
For us, this was unexpected. We were only at the beginning
of implementing the previous generation — we had just invested in new molds and
tooling, and a sudden change in motor design would make that investment
obsolete. But rather than seeing this as a problem, we viewed it as an
opportunity to engage in a deeper dialogue.
Our engineering team possesses a lot of experience working
with other engines, including the earlier Panasonic system and identified
several ways it could be refined — in terms of mounting, cable routing, and
overall integration within the frame. So instead of simply adapting to the new
concept, we shared our insights with Panasonic’s development team and proposed
creating a custom version of their motor tailored to our needs.
At first, Panasonic was hesitant. But after several rounds
of discussion, we managed to convince them that some aspects of their design
philosophy needed rethinking. They weren’t ready to build a fully custom motor
for us, but they did something unprecedented — they invited Kellys to
participate in the development process of one of their upcoming motors, the
magnesium-cased model.
That’s where the real collaboration began.
Thanks to direct input from our R&D team, Panasonic made
a number of key design changes:
- The shape of the casing was redesigned.
- The positioning of the mounting points was optimized.
- Internal cable routing was re-engineered for better integration.
- Design of the computer cable plugs was optimized
The result? The new motor became , more compact, visually
slimmer, lighter, and easier to assemble and integrate with any ebike frames —
all while improving overall performance.
Eventually, Panasonic even “unfroze” their aluminum motor
project and decided to adapt it based on the improvements made to the “Kellys”
magnesium concept.
Since then, our collaboration has only deepened. We’ve
provided feedback not only on the motor itself but also on peripheral
components like the side display. Panasonic has grown accustomed to our input and
today, they regularly consult us on various aspects of their product
development.
The result is something we’re proud of: Kellys has its
fingerprints on several Panasonic products on the ebike market. It’s a rare
example of a European bike brand influencing the design of one of the world’s
leading e-bike motor manufacturers — and proof that when expertise meets trust,
even the biggest players listen.
