Evoke Electric Motorcycle
A group of young expats in China is
trying to develop a modern electric bike for the Chinese market, with other
Asian markets to follow.
Evoke is based in Beijing and was
started by Nathan Siy who grew up in Canada. He used to run a company offering
tours of Beijing with electric scooters, and slowly got interested in
developing a modern electric motorcycle. Little is known about Evoke’s
financing, but the firm claims to have produced just under 50 bikes in 2015,
and hopes to quadruple its sales in 2016.
The Evoke Urban comes in two versions,
which are described as 150 cc-equivalent. Prices start at US$ 6,500.
For now distribution is limited to
Beijing and Shanghai, and Evoke is planning to add more distributors in China
before attacking other Asian countries. The firm has no plan for the US market,
indicating that “market feedback, including power demands, range, and top-speed
have been very polar, and have delayed US distribution to after our South East
Asian expansion”.
The Evoke Urban is in the same category
as the Volta we mentioned in our last article. Like the Volta in Europe, the
Evoke is testing the market in Asia for modern electric 125 cc-equivalent
motorcycles.
