It’s a Weird One
I don’t get why people think they have to make electric motorcycles look absolutely ridiculous. You can make an electric motorcycle look like, ya know, a motorcycle. Case in point is this horrid creation from the company Newron. I do have to give it to Newron, though. The company used the cylindrical shape of the battery on its electric bike to work out the shape for the rest of the bike. It’s just too bad that shape is ugly.
The bike features wooden bodywork that curves and bends around the cylindrical battery pack. The battery pack itself is kind of cool looking and the wood is an interesting touch. The motor is a rear-wheel hub design. I can’t imagine what the thing weighs, though. Wood is dense and heavy, and probably not the smartest material for an electric motorcycle, which is already fighting a losing battle to heavy batteries.
There aren’t numbers out there for range, power, or charge times. Newron is a French company and the business plans to build 12 of these motorcycles by 2020. From there, the company will ramp things up for 2021. Some accelerator programs have helped this company move forward, according to New Atlas, it has participated in Dassault Systems and more recently Advans Group in France. As interesting as the bike it has created is, I don’t see it being a huge hit. Maybe I’m wrong, though.
To the author: Ever heard of conceptual art renderings? You seem to one of the few that hates innovation. These panels could be made of anything and as stated elsewhere are carbon fiber with an outer laminate layer for aesthetic. Secondly, wood has thousands of species with many weights and densities. Your blanket statement about the weight of wood is therefore completely off base. In fact all aircraft frames of the early 1900’s were originally made of wood;…take a guess why! An electric motorcycle has no need or desire to look like a V-twin or inline-4 nor should it ever attempt to be anything than what it is…electric. Maybe try an op-ed with an educated, well-informed mindset before looking like another dumb knee-jerk hater.
Hey Jeff, I think it’s ugly and they should use something else. With that said, you do make a good point about the fact that there are different types of wood with different weights and densities. Definitely something worth pointing out. I find the design interesting. I don’t like it, though.
To your point about conceptual art renderings. Sure, I get it, and I know there are folks out there who will think this is cool. I’m looking forward to seeing more information about this bike. Charge times, range, and other performance numbers are more interesting to me than funky designs at this point.
“Sure, I get it, and I know there are folks out there who will think this is cool. I”
I think it’s cool!
Show me the range and performance numbers that will be cool.
Fair enough, but I think this is one of the sexiest bikes made and therefore it is already cool 😉