2023 Trek Verve+ e-bike

[evermore]

I'm trying to help my mom ride her 2023 Trek Verve+ but her arthritis makes pedaling tough. The throttle only works after a few pedal turns, and she can't manage that. I'm thinking about adding a simple switch to trick the pedal sensor so the throttle kicks in right away. Does that sensor need a pulsed signal, or will a steady voltage work? Any advice would be great.

 

[Hill.Striker]

Have you looked into whether the Verve+ has an option to adjust the pedal-assist sensitivity or start-up delay in its settings.
Maybe you can check that through a display menu or a dealer diagnostic tool?
Sometimes a quick tweak there can make a big difference without needing to modify the electronics.

 

[General Zod]

How are you planning to wire that switch, is it inline with the sensor or directly to the controller? that'll affect whether the system reads it correctly or throws an error

 

[PedalPowerPro]

I've been down a similar path, I helped a friend come up with a workaround on his dad's eBike after he had knee surgery. We initially tried using a steady voltage to trick the sensor, but that ended up confusing the controller and causing a fault. We finally sorted it out by tweaking the assist sensitivity through the display menu, which made it much easier for him to start moving without needing any mods.

It might be a good idea to see if your Verve+ has that option first before diving into any wiring. By the way, what display unit does your mom's bike have?