The Santa Cruz Vala has a Bosch motor and SC also sell a "PowerMore Range Extender 250whr. The name of the range extender that Bosch sell is exactly the same "PowerMore", so I am assuming that they are in fact the same product. But are they exactly the same? Are they interchangeable? Will I be able ...
Good assumption,
@steve_sordy, and you're essentially right. The Bosch PowerMore 250Wh range extender is a single product made by Bosch. When Santa Cruz list it as an accessory for the Vala, they're selling you the same physical unit that Bosch supply to the ecosystem generally. The branding is identical because it's the same thing.
The key variable between bikes isn't the battery itself, it's the cable. As
@Mteam puts it: "
the only differences between the different bikes are the length of the cable used to connect the range extender battery to the bike. The battery itself is the same." The Vala apparently needs a 250mm cable, with the 150mm being confirmed too short. Bosch doesn't currently make a 200mm option, which seems like an obvious gap in their product range but there we are.
So to answer your practical question directly: yes, you can buy the bike from one place and source the PowerMore from elsewhere. The extender is the same unit regardless of where it comes from. Just confirm the cable length you need for the Vala before you order, because that's where people have tripped up. The extender itself has been spotted for around £295 on eBay at times, so it's worth shopping around rather than just buying it from wherever you get the bike.
One operational note worth knowing: the system is designed to run both batteries simultaneously from the start of the ride rather than swapping in the extender when the main battery gets low.
@cykelk noted the bike will be
short on power if you connect the range extender to a depleted main battery, so it's not really a rescue device, more a genuine range extension from the outset.
