german electric motorcycle company novus presents their debut model at CES 2019 – an incredibly light and incredibly minimal, hollow-bodied city commuter. sat somewhere between an e-bike and a performance motorcycle, the novus is the co-creation of industrial designers, rené renger and marcus weidig, who shared ambitions to create a new type of bike.

the buttonless novus electric motorcycle is a minimalist's dream

images courtesy of novus

 

 

the first thing that stands out about the novus is that there’s not much of it. most of the bike’s features are embedded into the body of the bike with both head and tail integrated into the body to create a smooth straight line from rear to cockpit. the rear suspension, which employs an air damper, too is embedded into the frame, as is the start button, which you activate by pushing down on the seat leather where the fuel tank should be.

the buttonless novus electric motorcycle is a minimalist's dream

 

 

the electric bike is powered by a 14kW brushless motor, located above the rear wheel. weighing in at a very light 85 lbs (38.5 kg), the novus has a 14-peak-kilowatt (18.7 horsepower) rear hub drive putting out a claimed 200 Nm (147.5 lb-ft) of torque. the current charge time is around an hour for a 0-80 percent top-up.

the buttonless novus electric motorcycle is a minimalist's dream

 

 

novus claims that the bike has a top speed of 60 mph / 100 kph and a range of 100km. the battery, which the company has yet to specify, sits in the base of the frame. the hand-built e-bike is still in its prototype stage, and the pair expect initial production models will be similarly constructed, for a heavy cost of $35,000 or possibly even more.

the buttonless novus electric motorcycle is a minimalist's dream

kieron marchese I designboom
jan 10, 2019

  • It is a beautiful design… I would like to see it sell well. However, it is also likely trapped between too little macho and too much …and ‘get serious’ about the price. Perhaps make it 2/3-scale for some oligarch’s kids and sell five.

    Jim

    Jimmy Xi says:
    Jan 10, 2019
    Reply

  • I guess, like a lot of viewers, I was drawn in by the design and style. Love the carbon fibre look on the frame. Love the simplicity of design.” Motor above rear wheel” ? Can’t really see where that fits in.

    BUT!! the. Price….. someone has to put a huge investment stake into this and allow production to ramp up
    To enable the price to come down to a realistic level. How about a target of £4,000. That would do it.

    Johnb says:
    Jan 12, 2019
    Reply

  • Reminds me a little to the ENV Bike without fuel cell…

    Pete314 says:
    Jan 12, 2019
    Reply

  • Supercool!!! Not the price though … 🙁

    beachcomber says:
    Jan 12, 2019
    Reply

  • So impractical

    John says:
    Jan 12, 2019
    Reply

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