As part of the buildup to our Electric Revolution Live event in May 2022, as a follow-up of our Electric Revolution exhibit at the Petersen Museum, we are ramping up reportage on the EV scene.  It’s an ever-evolving, even frantic, landscape of electric vehicles, and it can be tough to keep abreast of all the latest bikes, batteries, and news constantly flooding the market. That’s why we’ve re-launched our weekly EV News Roundup to bring you cherry-picked stories that matter to you.

Hello readers and riders! Are you all ready for Halloween trick-or-treaters this weekend? Well, this week has been a real treat for us as far as EV news is concerned. Flying cars!  A commitment to an electric Ducati!  The last week of October features tons of spook-tacular new drops, including a 1,600-pound car!

As always, if you see something of interest, drop us a line at stephanie@thevintagent.com.

Let’s do this:

An EV Car that Flies!!!

 

HT Aero, the latest entry into a long-promised future of flying cars. None have yet been certified by the FAA, but soon… [HT Aero]
We’re going to start with the story that excites us the most. HT Aero, an urban air mobility company and an affiliate of Chinese EV company Xpeng, unveiled a new car concept this week that also flies! The startup raised a staggering $500 million in a Series A round in an effort to roll out its next-gen model in 2024. The ultralight vehicle will have the ability to turn into an aircraft via a foldable rotor mechanism. The props will seamlessly be integrated into the vehicle when it’s in car mode and when it’s ready for takeoff, the props will span about 12 meters from the large tail. If you’re scared of heights, don’t worry! The airplane car will also feature parachutes and an advanced environmental perception system to conduct safety assessments before taking flight.  Parachutes or seat belts…think about it.

Ducati Plans on Making its EV Debut in 2025

Rumored and vaporware’d for years: now Ducati has committed to an EV as part of a racing program with Dorna to take over its eBike racing series from Energica. [Ducati]
An EV Ducati? This seems to be the case as Ducati becomes the official manufacturer for the MotoE race series slated to kick off in 2023, after Italian eBike manufacturer Energica declined to supply the series with its already-available Ego Corse models [watch our film about the customized Energica from our Electric Revolution exhibit here]. The announcement will also see the Italian moto manufacturer stepping into the EV arena with the development of its first ever e-Motorcycle. However, this will not come to fruition until 2025 or later. The company, with its proven racing pedigree, will utilize futuristic tech solutions to develop a nimble bike that boasts best-in-class power-to-weight ratio despite the weight of the battery. The e-Motorbike will be tested on different race tracks worldwide. Would you ride one?

ICOMA Drops a Cubicle-Friendly e-Bike

The new Icoma Tatamel takes the Honda Motocompo concept from the 1980s to today, with surprisingly little conceptual modification required. Make a bike suitcase-sized! The Motocompo is a cult item now…perhaps the Icoma will become the same: it certainly is cute. [Icoma]
Never worry about chain grease on your trousers when you bike to work, ever again! Japanese startup, ICOMA, recently debuted a foldable e-Motorcycle dubbed the Tatamel bike. The itty-bitty bike can be folded down to fit under an office desk. When you’re ready to ride, the bike measures 1000mm tall, 1230mm long, and 650mm wide. When folded, it measures 680mm tall, 700mm long, and 260mm wide.  The Tatamel has a 40km/h (24mph) top speed and a 50km (30-mile) range: that’s pretty fast and far riding a briefcase!   The side panels are of course customizable, and we’ve seen some terrific Honda Motocompo – the closest conceptual kin – customs in the past year.  What we want to know: can we carry it on a plane?

A Lighter-than-Air EV Car

Ultralight and ultrafast: the Vazirani Ekonk weighs only 1600lbs. [Vazirani]
Mumbai-based startup, Vazirani, revealed its 1,627-pound electric hypercar this week. Known as the Ekonk, the EV features a single seat and utilizes a bespoke battery technology to efficiently cool its power source with air instead of a liquid-cooled system. Chief designer, Chunky Vazirani (what a name!), who has worked for Land Rover and Jaguar, used biomimicry to draw inspiration from the way animals naturally regulate their body temperatures through breathing, to cool his motor with air instead of water or oil.  The Ekonk is planned to be the fastest car produced in India, with 722hp and a top speed of 192mph, and a 0-100kmh speed of 2.6seconds.  Quick!  Amazingly, the Ekonk will include no ‘drivers aids’ like traction control etc, but presumably will have a sophisticated controller instead of a light switch for on/off power.   The goal was a 1:1 hp/kg power to weight ratio, and an extremely low drag coefficient, plus no passengers to keep the overall weight to a minimum.  While the imagery looks like vaporware, we’re assured a prototype is currently in the testing phase.

Double Your Riding Pleasure

The Velotric Discover ebike is currently available and very reasonably priced., with a nice range of colors. [Velotrix]
Remember Doublemint Gum’s slogan of “double your pleasure, double your fun?” Now you can have twice the battery and twice the fun with Velotric’s Discover e-Bike. Boasting a 692Wh battery that delivers 80 miles worth of range, the step-thru bike has a 500W motor and 65Nm torque. However, the Discover 1 doesn’t forgo comfort or style for functionality. It’s designed for optimal comfort and is available in stunning color options, including canary yellow and turquoise.

Coast to Coast on Sunlight

Suhil Reddy is riding across the USA using a solar-powered ebike with a range of 40miles/day on solar power alone. [Suhil Reddy]
We’ll wrap up this week’s roundup with an inspiring story of how one guy is riding a solar powered e-Bike clear across the US. Catching rays from North Carolina to Texas, Sushil Reddy is doing a coast-to-coast ride on sun-powered bike with his partner, Luis Fourzan. Sushil’s bike is powered by two solar panels mounted on the back, giving it a range of about 40 miles. Conversely, Luis is astride a regular e-Bike. Suhil already holds the world record for the longest distance traveled on an ebike, and is undertaking this ride to support awareness around sustainability and personal efforts to combat climate change. We wish them the best of luck on their travels!

 

 

Stephanie Weaver is a Philadelphia-based freelance writer. When she’s not locked to her laptop, she can be found riding horses and motorcycles.
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