Electric scooters are a bit like buses – you wait around for ages and then suddenly two come along at once. Hot on the heels of the Moveo folding scooter-cum-suitcase is a new KTM electric scoter concept known as the E-Speed, which sounds like some sort of horrendous drug cocktail (so we’re told).
KTM, best known for its range of off road bikes and the bonkers range of X-Bow road and track cars, has designed the E-Speed to appeal to the commuter market. The 140kg scooter is driven by an electric motor that pumps 11kW (14.75) and 36Nm of torque to the rear wheels, which KTM says is enough to give the scooter a 50mph top speed.
The KTM E-Speed draws power from a 4.36kWh lithium-ion battery pack that provides enough juice to propel the scooter for a range of 40 miles. Once it’s exhausted, a full recharge takes two hours via a normal household plug.
The KTM E-Speed runs near silently, which is a blessing as it probably makes the thing more pleasant to listen to than your average 50cc petrol scooter. However it’s also a bit of a curse since the lack of noise means fellow motorists and pedestrians won’t hear you coming. That said, the E-Speed has plenty of safety features including daytime running lights with LED high beams and large 220mm brake discs with ABS.
KTM boss Stefan Pierer seems pretty smitten with it, saying: “We at KTM are completely convinced of electric mobility as a perfect complement to conventional powertrains. 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.“
The E-Speed is merely a concept at present, but if it ever moves off the drawing board we’ll make sure you’re among the first to know.
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