The BioTioo 2.0 RL-Motion stirs automatically: lid closed, the TiooMotion motor mixes the fresh addition with coconut fibers, controlled by the TiooTronic. A hand crank is still included with every model—not a random accessory, but our design principle: no single component may disable the toilet. The motor automates the stirring; it does not perform the basic function.
Lid closed, the motor takes over
The TiooTronic is the toilet’s control unit: a microcontroller housed under the toilet seat, protected from splashes and shocks. It detects when the lid is closed and then starts the stirring process on a timer. The motor rotates bidirectionally, forward and backward, and can be mounted on either side of the housing accordingly. Each stirring cycle lasts a few seconds, then it stops. This immediately coats every addition without anyone needing to think about cranking. What the mixing in the container achieves—from drying to volume reduction—is explained in the technical note on the stirring mechanism; the separation itself is explained in the basic article How a Separation Toilet Works.
On request, the motor can also stir at fixed intervals, for example every 30 minutes; you set the intervals on the TiooTronic. The drive runs on a 12 V onboard power supply, directly from the service battery. Mains power or an inverter is not needed, and the motor draws no current between stirring cycles.
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Onboard power | 12 V |
| Rotation direction | bidirectional (forward and backward), mountable on both sides |
| Current consumption in standard operation | 1.7–2.5 A |
| Motor fuse | 4 A (replacement fuse included) |
| Run time per stirring cycle | a few seconds |
| Space required for motor / crank | +5 cm / +6 cm |
| Self-installation of motor bundle | approx. 30 minutes, cable cross-section 1.5 mm² |
Protection, lid sensor, child safety
A motor in the solid waste container works against varying resistance. Compressed material or a foreign object can block the stirring arms; without protection, the motor would continue pushing in one direction against the resistance until it overheats and burns out. The bidirectional drive alone does not solve this, because even a motor that turns forward and backward can get stuck in a solid blockage. That’s why there is a 4 A fuse. In standard operation, the motor draws 1.7–2.5 A, so the fuse only cuts the circuit well above normal operation. If it trips, you fix the cause in the container, replace the fuse, and continue stirring; until then, the crank takes over.
The second level is the lid logic. The lid sensor only allows stirring when the lid is closed. As long as the lid is open and small hands might be nearby, nothing moves; this is the built-in child safety. If you don’t need it, for example when cleaning or testing, you can deliberately deactivate it.
Day/Night mode: quiet operation via toggle switch
The motor is audible when stirring; we don’t deny that. We don’t provide a polished decibel number. What matters is the pattern: a short work pulse of a few seconds after closing the lid, no continuous noise. For nighttime, there is a day/night mode: you switch the toilet to quiet operation via a toggle switch.
The odor control is unaffected by night mode because it is not connected to the motor. Separation works mechanically via the bowl shape, and the urine path is passively sealed by the SmellX with its floating ball (odor seal with floating ball). Meanwhile, the solids remain in their closed, drying chamber. If you want to stir additionally after a nighttime visit, just crank briefly by hand.
The hand crank: no single point of failure
More technology means more parts that can fail. This applies to the motor, TiooTronic, and wiring as with any vehicle electronics, and we don’t downplay it: the TiooTronic control is newer technology in our range, without years of field data from long-term use. That’s exactly why we don’t build a motor on which the entire function depends, but one that complements the hand crank, not replaces it. Our answer to the risk of failure is not the claim that the motor is unbreakable, but the design: no single component may disable the toilet. Separation, collection, and odor seal work mechanically anyway. The hand crank is ready for the motor: always included, even with the RL-Motion, and it drives the same stirring shaft as the motor. You attach it without tools, optionally on both sides, directly on the installed device; the motor is also mountable on both sides.
A motor without a mechanical fallback turns a power outage into a complete toilet shutdown. For us, the same outage turns it back into what it always is: a mechanical composting toilet with a hand crank, not broken electronics. Honestly: in crank mode, you are again the routine, a few turns after each use. What else continues to work without power is described in the technical note Fully functional without power.
The motor itself comes from the same series used in Porsche seat adjustments, designed for precision and continuous operation under mechanical load. The drive system was developed by Jörn Hoffarth, a full-time engineer at Robert Bosch GmbH, who took on the project alongside his other, not only automotive, development work. The motor is manufactured in Germany; the complete system is assembled and tested by us in Überlingen on Lake Constance.
Retrofit: over 4,000 housings from generation 2.0
The motor is a modular component, not a separate toilet model. The motor bundle fits into over 4,000 existing BioTioo housings; the prerequisite is the generation 2.0 bowl, which we state honestly. The bowl can also be retrofitted so that generation 1 BioTioo can use the motor. Self-installation takes about 30 minutes on a 12 V onboard power supply; a cable cross-section of 1.5 mm² is recommended; an installation video is linked on the product page.
For installation checks: the motor requires about 5 cm additional space on the housing, the crank about 6 cm. Whether the automatic version is worth it for you or the crank version is sufficient is weighed in the comparison RL or RL-Motion.
Availability
The TiooMotion motor is available from the factory in the BioTioo 2.0 RL-Motion and as a motor bundle for retrofitting. We offer a 3-year warranty on the bowl and lid, plus a 60-day return policy. All models with stirring mechanism are shown in the overview of composting toilets.
