The electric bike motorcycle market is in a state of upheaval. Brands can’t seem to decide whether they’re coming or going. CAKE, the once promising Swedish electric motorcycle manufacturer, recently filed for bankruptcy, while Damon is dragging its feet toward what feels like an inevitable end. But hope is not lost
Innovators like Dust.Moto are driving things forward in the off-road niche, and last year, Ola Electric gave us a peak at what lies ahead in terms of on-road 2-wheeled mobility. But the brand’s latest patents don't look anything like the prototypes we saw last year.
Here’s everything you need to know about the latest patents from Ola Electric, according to Bikewhale.
Nothing We’ve Seen Before
The four motorcycles that Ola Electric, India’s largest electric scooter maker, unveiled last year at its End Ice Age, Part One event took the shape of a cruiser, adventure bike, roadster, and a supersport. But this patent doesn’t resemble any of those, apart from the bike’s sleek, futuristic design, which falls in line with what we’ve seen from Ola thus far.
Key Takeaways
Everything about this patent points to Ola Electric filling the everyday-commuter-shaped hole in its lineup. For starters, its suspension and box-section swingarm are about as basic as it gets, using twin shocks at the rear and a telescopic front fork at the front. But the real giveaway that this model will be pointed squarely at commuters are its 17-inch wheels, wrapped in narrow rubber.
The bike’s seemingly light, flat-panel design combined with its narrow tires should work well to reduce drag and increase range. What that range will be is yet to be seen, but it’s expected to be decent and capable of fast charging. Another spec that’s in the air is the top speed. Given that the Ola S1 Pro electric scooter will hit 70 mph, we have to imagine this bike would be capable of something similar.
At the rear, at least to this writer, it looks like Ola has fitted the bike with an electric hub motor. But this take sparked a debate between myself and RideApart's Executive Editor, Jonathon Klein, who said,
"Based on the rear swing-arm design, i.e. its basic dual-shock and single-track look, I think it's far more possible that the object in the rear wheel is a drum brake. Fight me."
The problem is, if this patent shows an electric hub motor, then it could also feature a rear drum brake. So both Klein and I would be right, and therefore neither of us would be happy.
Three Sportier Patents
The patent outlined above seems to be the basis of an electric commuter-style motorcycle from Ola, but the company also filed three more patent designs, which are similar but more up-market and, dare I say, sportier.
These designs feature a mono shock and disc brake at the rear and a heavier-duty swingarm that uses a second supporting arm. The wheels also feature a different 5-spoke design and appear to be wrapped in sportier rubber.
Could you see yourself picking up one of these and using it as your daily commuter if it launched in the US? And if so, how much would you pay for it?
