Electric bikes as a category keep getting exciting designs as they are not too concerned about keeping the weight of the vehicle down to a bare minimum. More than a cycle they are actually electric motorcycles like the Philippe Starck Electric Vehicle. Anaheim-based Marrs Cycles has released their M-1 ebike whose design is clearly inspired by Harley Davidson. It has the capacity to become the fastest electric bike but according to the US regulations the top motorized speed should be within 20mph for the vehicle to qualify as an electric bicycle. The design of the new bikes have been credited to the founder of the company Kacy Marrs who has a background in riding a variety of both bicycles and motorcycles.
Some Prototypes Can Achieve 30mph
The M-1 ebikes are custom made and built to order and specifications may differ from bike to bike to incorporate specific requirements of the buyer. Brad Fanshaw who earlier ran a company that built one-of-a-kind hot rods has also contributed to the design. He is a business partner of Kacy Marrs on this project. The ebikes use rechargeable lithium battery packs to power a three-phase brushless rear hub motor. An average sized man can travel up to 20 miles on one charge without pedaling. The top speed has been limited to 20mph in order to comply with regulations but Marrs confirmed that they have made prototypes that exceed the limit and are capable of achieving close to 30mph.
Best Materials and Components Push the Price to $7,000
A finished bike weighs in at about 140 pounds and can be made available in different colored frames with different wood veneer types. Metallica front man James Hetfield has ordered one and has shown his preference for cherry wood. 4130 chromoly steel is used to make the frame. Some of the parts used to make the bike are custom made. Some high end motorcycle and bicycle parts are also used. These are all high quality authentic motorcycle components. The custom made parts also involve a lot of skilled labor and that’s why the price tag of the M-1 bike is rather heavy at $7,000 and beyond. But then this is the only vehicle falling in the electric bicycle category that actually feels like a motorcycle.
Via: gizmag
