Final 12 months on the EICMA Milan Milan Bike Present, I stumbled throughout a novel-looking automobile often called the Ponie P2. Described as a van alternative, the 60 mph (100 km/h) electrical motorcycle sports activities an enormous cargo case beneath the seat and was prepping for manufacturing on the time. Now a 12 months later, I caught up with the corporate on the similar present to find out how the Ponie P2 is now making ready to hit the highway.
The corporate behind the bike, PNY, has spent many of the previous 12 months finalizing its manufacturing path and is able to begin a number of pilot applications, together with with DHL and the native postal service, amongst others who’ve signed as much as snag a number of the first 50 Ponie P2s that simply rolled off the manufacturing line.
With 400L (105 gallons) of cupboard space between the middle cargo space and an optionally available rear trunk, the Ponie P2 actually is nearly as near a “van replacer” as you will get on two wheels. There are some bigger four-wheeled cargo e-bikes on the market, however they aren’t as quick or as nimble, limiting their use to bike lanes and in areas the place sidewalk parking is met with a blind eye.
The Ponie P2 may not carry as a lot cargo as a Sprinter van, however it might seemingly do a complete route of mail deliveries whereas sustaining the identical lane-splitting and parking benefits of a motorbike – to not point out the power to succeed in minimal freeway speeds.
The bike can also be nearly as secure as might be, sporting its massive 6.7 kWh CATL battery as a flat pack beneath the principle cargo space. That low heart of gravity is additional aided by the hub motor retaining the motor weight at mere axle top. It gained’t do the unsprung weight any favors, however a supply motorcycle isn’t precisely efficiency territory, both.
The P2 even has fairly a great vary per cost, quoted at 150 km (93 miles) when touring at metropolis speeds of 35 km/h (22 mph). Hopping on the freeway at high velocity is certain to drop that vary determine, however it’s additionally onerous to get the mail within the field precisely at freeway speeds, so riders are going to must decelerate finally.
The PNY Ponie P2 appears to straddle the road between bikes and scooters, providing seating of the previous with utility of the latter. A big 7-inch TFT shade show and ABS brakes provide the form of trendy bike options many riders have come to anticipate, and there’s even a smaller glove field cargo space with an included USB charging port (splendid for the rider’s personal private belongings so that they aren’t mixing with everybody else’s packages and postcards).
The corporate was additionally displaying off built-in security know-how from RiderDome, a startup that makes use of AI-based laptop imaginative and prescient and sensors to supply 360-degree risk detection particularly for motorcyclists.
The identical body is designed to combine with a number of cargo equipment, together with the big heart cargo field seen on the DHL bike in addition to a number of smaller containers resembling these utilized by meals supply firms.
I’m hoping to check out one of many first 50 PNY Ponie P2 bikes that will likely be used within the upcoming pilot applications with DHL and different prospects. For now, I solely received a static take a look at on the sales space (above), however the bikes really feel surprisingly regular whenever you’re sitting on them. They might seem like a stretch limousine of the bike world, however they only really feel like a unadorned roadster with a snug foot-forward seating place – at the very least, at relaxation.
The jury continues to be out on how they’ll carry out within the wild, however PNY has excessive hopes that extra cities world wide will quickly be changing lane-blocking cargo vans with lane-splitting cargo motorbikes like these.
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