While we are used to seeing electric motorcycles (e-bikes) with massive battery packs, the 2020 Novus e-bike strives for a minimalist, almost nothing-is-there design. The brainchild of founder and chief executive officer René Renger, previously a designer at Volkswagen, Novus hails from Germany and is priced at 44,047 Euros and pre-orders are now being taken with a fully refundable deposit of 1,000 Euros.
Made from carbon-fibre sculpted in a
trapezoidal frame weighing 7 kg with an all-up weight of 75 kg including the
battery, the Novus is designed as lightweight personal transport in an urban
setting. A a single-seater with a maximum rider weight of 125 kg, the Novus –
meaning ‘new’ in Latin – delivers a maximum power of 24 hp from its
hub-mounted electric motor with a maximum of 200 Nm of torque and a governed
top speed of 120 km/h .
Power delivery is controlled via an app on
the rider’s smartphone, which also enables locking of the Novus via NFC for
true keyless operation. Three power modes are available for purchase – ‘Base’,
which limits power to a maximum of 40 percent of motor capacity, ‘Power’,
delivering 70 percent and ‘God’, which unleashes maximum power.
The frame houses all the major components
on the Novus, including the battery pack and various controllers, with the hub
motor located in the carbon-fibre rear wheel, held in place by a carbon-fibre
swing arm. A carbon-fibre girder fork mounts the carbon-fibre front wheel, with
90 mm of suspension travel.
A monoshock holds up the rear end of the
Novus, tucked away in a frame recess, adjustable for preload, compression and
rebound and providing 110 mm of travel. Braking is done with a single disc on
the front wheel, stopped by a hydraulic calliper. No range numbers or charging
times were provided by Novus, but a good guess would be 120 km of range and
about 4 hours charging time, as is typical of most e-bikes in this segment.
