Hailing from Finland, RMK Vehicles has produced an
electric motorcycle (e-bike), the E2, which it says gets between 200 km to 300
km of range and is top speed limited to 160 km/h. Estimated purchase price of
the E2 is 24,990 euro and interested customers can secure a
pre-order fully refundable deposit of 2,000 euro.
What is unique about the E2 is its hubless rear
wheel, which also contains the 50 kW (equivalent to 67 hp) electric motor that
gives a very impressive 320 Nm of torque from zero rpm. Most e-bike designs
have a hub-mounted electric motor but in the case of the E2, there is no hub.
The motor, fed by three heavy-gauge electrical
cables, is housed in the wheel rim itself, giving the E2 a very futuristic
design style. According to RMK’s website, there are two E2 versions in the
pipeline – the base model E2 which gives 200 km of range and the “Bit More
Expensive Model” which goes 300 km on a single charge, with charging time
taking about two to three hours.
Designed, engineered and produced in Finland, the E2
is the brain child of Teemu Saukkio, who also designed the E2’s electric motor.
“The bike itself is a bastard child of a naked sportbike and wide handlebar
Harley-Davidson kind of bike. It looks like its a sportbike, but it is not,”
says Saukkio, who is planning a next generation E3, but was not forthcoming
with details.
Production of the E2 began in the summer of 2018
with deliveries to the first RMK customers expected to begin at the end of the
year. Website electrek.co reports RMK will ramp up to a total production of 150
vehicles a year in 2019 with an increase in production in 2020.
