KTM, as European mobility brands go, has a lot of history behind it. The Austrian company, founded in 1934, today makes its name known mostly through its off road motorcycles.
It does produce other types of two wheeled rides through, including motor scooters, and recently showed off its chops in this space via a new electric scooter concept being unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Show.
Electric vehicle ideas from KTM are nothing new as they, in the past, have helped the Austrian Institute of Technology produce a two-seat, three-wheel electric car, as well as unveiling in late 2011 the Freeride E electric motocross bike. The new E-Speed is seen as being a sibling to the Freeride of sorts – whereas the motorcycle focused on zero emissions fun in open nature, the motor scooter idea is viewed as a “sport-oriented future concept for urban mobility.”
The E-Speed, as far as scooters go, looks very nice at the first glance to the eye. Its chassis and styling are uncluttered but colorful and sleek in form and function. Driving it is a liquid-cooled, permanent-magnet synchronous motor with 36Nm of maximum torque and a permanent power of 11kW that moves the rear wheel via a belt drive. Electricity, according to KTM, is stored in a package of lithium-ion batteries with a capacity of 4.36kWh that is fully charged within two hours on a regular 220V socket, according to European standards.
The scooter is silently able to reach top speeds of up to nearly 53 miles per hour, and Autoblog Green reports it has a range of around 37 miles on a single charge. It weighs around just 308 pounds and includes regenerative braking to return energy to the battery pack, among a range of features.
It is not clear from the materials made available by KTM if the E-Speed will ever move from concept to actual production.
“We at KTM are completely convinced of electric mobility as a perfect complement to conventional powertrains,” said KTM CEO Stefan Pierer in a statement.
“In the long term, the electric drive will come out on top for short distances – particularly in areas which are highly sensitive from an environmental perspective, like open nature and densely populated metropolitan areas Vehicles like the ‘E-Speed’ and Freeride E can help powered two-wheelers win back more acceptance in society. Not just because of their environmental credits, but because they are easy to use, quick, and simply great fun.”
