Japanese designer Kota Nezu has created a low-riding electric motorcycle that challenges some of the conventions of new-era zero-emission bikes.
For a start the zec00 has hub centre steering which is an old concept that still has some advantages (read about one new concept here) and has belt drive rather than direct drive like most electric motorcycles.
The radical-looking bike is on sale in Japan for a hefty 8.8m Yen ($A97,000, $US72,000) and only 49 will be made.
The designers claim it will have 160km range, a charging time of four hours and weighs a hefty 280kg despite much of the bike being made from sculpted aluminium alloy block.
Much of the electric components are in the frame and the hub steering mechanism is designed to accommodate the battery’s weight.
It’s powered by the same motor that Zero Motorcycles uses and which propelled that American company to two class wins at the recent Pikes Peak International Hillclimb.
It has maximum power of 50kW, maximum torque of 144Nm and no gears.
The motor is powered by an 11.4 kWh lithium ion battery.
Kota Nezu from Znug Design worked for Toyota before starting his design studio.