Pedals and Electric Power
The idea of the moped has been around for a long time. Basically, it’s a bike somewhere between a motorcycle and bicycle with both pedals and another form of power. In the past, it’d been a small internal combustion engine, but now we’re seeing electric versions. We reported on the Onyx mopeds not too long ago and now the company Suru has entered the game.
Suru is known for racing an electric superbike called the Amarok, according to Clean Technica. Now, the company is using what it learned from that project on a commuter-focused moped for the masses. Meet the Suru S19 and the Suru Scrambler. Both utilize much of the same equipment and look like quite promising machines.
The numbers for the bike aren’t astounding, but they’re quite respectable for a commuting machine. The bikes can go up to 40 miles per charge thanks to an 816-watt-hour Sony lithium-ion and have a maximum speed of 20 mph thanks to a 48V 500-watt geared brushless DC hub drive. The company plans to sell different size motors depending on the market. Europe gets a 250-watt motor, Canada gets the 500-watt one, and the U.S. gets the largest 750-watt motor.
Suru Cycles calls its bikes e-bikes and leans on them being more bicycles than motorcycles or mopeds. That’s probably a smart move. Most motorcyclists won’t be impressed by a 40-mile range and 20 mph top speed. I think it’s great for an urban environment, especially if you can ride these in a bike lane, but I wouldn’t want to be out on the open road with one.
The price is pretty low, too, which is a plus. The Suru S19 comes with a $2,273 price tag, according to the website. The Scrambler version is the one I’d get, and it costs $2,700. That’s still kind of a lot for a glorified bicycle, but if you look around at other e-bikes on the market, that’s not bad.
Image from Suru