SRAM rumored to have taken over German electric motor brand Amprio

SRAM has reportedly bought the German electric motor manufacturer Amprio according to European bicycle news outlet Bike-EU.com. 

Although there is no official news on the takeover from either party, Bike-EU.com claims that the Amprio head office in Neuss, Germany is already closed and email queries are being redirected to '...@sram.com' email address.

Currently, SRAM doesn't have a best eMTB motor offering. This potential takeover adds further fuel to the fire that they are making a concerted effort to bring an electric motor to the market.

Amprio is a small German electric motor manufacturer and part of the larger technology group, Rheinmetall AG. It's not a brand we are familiar with and as far as we are aware, none of the best electric mountain bikes use their motor.

Amprio has a single e-bike motor in its range, the RMag. The unit is stated to offer between 75 - 90 Nm of torque, 420 percent support, and has a claimed weight of 2.85kg. These specs put it on par with commonly specced motors from Bosch, Shimano, and Yamaha. The motors are controlled by a remote display and there are three battery sizes available; 500, 660, and 710 Wh.

At the time of writing, it's unclear what SRAM's intentions are regarding the purchase of Amprio. Recently released e-MTB motor patents from SRAM clearly show a concentric harmonic drive, the patents are highly detailed which is a good indication that SRAM are investing time and money into the concentric motor direction. Amprio's RMag is a spur-gear drive motor so it seems unlikely SRAM are buying Amprio for its motor design. 

Considering SRAM's wealth of expertise we suspect they probably don't need much help in the software department either. In our opinion, the most likely reason is to speed up research and development to bring the motor to market faster, utilizing Amprio's research and development center and test centers that are based in Düsseldorf.

Assuming the takeover reports are true, this is another significant investment by SRAM as they power their way towards a much-anticipated motor launch.