This Novus carbon-fibre electric motorcycle weighs just 110kg and has only 100km of city range, yet it costs a whopping $US46,000 (about $A63,000).
That’s even more than the expensive Harley-Davidson LiveWire at $US29,900 ($A49,995) which has about 250km of city range.
Even so, the sleek Novus with its hollow where you would normally expect an engine is not the most expensive electric motorcycle in the world.
That “honour” goes to the Detonator at $US150,000 (about $A215,000).
DetonatorIt’s not even as expensive as the pedal-assisted Black Trail BT at $80,000 ($A114,500).
However, it would just squeeze into the top 10 most expensive electric motorcycles at number nine.
The prices of electric motorcycles will eventually come down like the prices of flat-screen TVs did, but right now they are very expensive.
In fact, only rich, early adopters will be rushing out to buy most electric motorcycles.
As Novus states: “We don’t build motorcycles. We create desires.”
It’s more of a “look-at-me” thing, rather than an economical decision to save money on petrol.
There is also a lot of debate over the whole-of-life environmental impact of electric versus petrol machines, but that’s a whole other issue.
The Novus features a carbon-fibre monocoque frame, mono fork, swingarm and rims.
Interestingly the rear suspension is hidden in the swingarm and the front suspension has a proprietary, adjustable mono fork.
The non-removable 4.3kWh battery can be 80% charged in 30 minutes and sits inside the bottom of the frame to lower the centre of gravity.
Novus is powered by a 18kW rear hub motor with a top speed of 120km/h (74.5mph) and a 0-50km/h time of three seconds. That compares with the LIveWire that hits 100km/h in the same time.
Clever features are a Supernova headlight integrated in the handlebar and LED instruments which can be swapped for your mobile phone using a proprietary app.