The zero emission E-Speed electric scooter was not in conjunction with KTM’s image and the company chose to scrap the project completely instead. The electric scooter was originally slated to hit production by 2015 and did excite scooter enthusiasts.
KTM had debuted the E-Speed electric scooter concept at the Tokyo Motor Show last year showcasing its focus on greener mobility. However while the project kicked off to an optimistic start, recent reports suggest that the Austrian manufacturer has considered to drop the project altogether and the electric scooter will not see the light of the day. The scooter was originally slated to be production ready by 2015 and would be primarily sold in developed markets starting with Europe.
The alleged reason for scrapping the E-Speed electric scooter project is believed that the zero-emission scooter was not in line with brand KTM’s image. The concept that was showcased last year promised a new breed of performance electric scooters that retained the performance attritutes seen on the company’s other offerings. KTM boss, Stefan Pierer was even quoted saying that the E-Speed was the company’s interpretation of emission-free propulsion for city use, but without compromising on the design and sportiness of its KTM genes.
Borrowing its powertain from the FREERIDE E off-road electric motorcycle, the KTM E-Speed electric scooter prototype was powered by a ‘permanent-magnet synchronous’ liquid-cooled motor that produced around 15 HP of power and 35 Nm of torque, all of which was available from 0 RPM. The scooter came with a top-speed of 80 km/hr, while power was sourced from lithium-ion batteries with a capacity of 4.26 kW and could be charged within 2 hours. In terms of mechanicals, the E-Speed was impressively loaded using a hybrid Trellis frame, while the WP suspension set-up made sure of overwhelming riding dynamics.
