Skoda's Latest Electric Vehicle Is A Bike That Doesn't Have Pedals Or Any Hand Controls!
Skoda Klement is an electric scooter with bicycle-like wheels but also car like accelerator and brake pedals. Both acceleration and braking are handled by foot pedals instead of the handlebar. The motor relies on two removable batteries with a combined power of 125 kWh expected to be enough for a 62 kms run on a single charge. The KLEMENT also comes with integrated LED lights for riding at the night.
As the Geneva Motor Show unfolds, electric motors have found their way into the most fascinating vehicles on display. One such unveiling was that of the Battista by Automobili Pininfarina, officially the world¡¯s fastest electric car now and claimed to be the most powerful car produced in Italy.
The electric drivetrain are not restricted to just cars though. In fact the assortment of the electric power has been brought in by none other than renowned car maker SKODA. What the company has come up with something that closely resembles an electric bicycle, but it is not. It might be considered a unique take on electric scooters, but then, there is more than one way in which it differs from the conventional e-bikes.
Skoda Klement (Image: Skoda)
Also read: Behold The Mercedes-Benz' EQ Silver Arrow 01, Its 1st All Electric Race Car For Formula-E
Get this, the new SKODA KLEMENT comes with bicycle-like wheels but also car like accelerator and brake pedals. The peculiar part is that both the components are not found on the handlebar. Instead, both acceleration and braking are handled by foot pedals.
The pedals do not work in the conventional way either. Much like an electric unicycle, or the gears on an IC engine bike, the paired foot pedals have to be tilted forward to accelerate and backwards for braking.
The paired pedals on the Skoda Klement (Image: Skoda)
Also read: Remember The Gypsy? After 33 Glorious Years, Maruti Suzuki Has Discontinued The Iconic SUV
Backing this up, is a 4 kW rear hub motor mounted in a single-sided frame. While the acceleration through the motor is expected to be aplenty, the top speed has been limited to 45 kmph, majorly to keep the SKODA KLEMENT legal in as many international markets as possible while avoiding the need of a motorcycle license to ride it.
The motor relies on two removable batteries with a combined power of 1.25 kWh, expected to be enough for a 62 kms run on a single charge. As for its braking, the KLEMENT uses hydraulic disc brake on the front wheel, while electronic ABS motor braking keeps the rear wheel under control. The KLEMENT also comes with integrated LED lights for riding at the night.
Skoda Klement handlebar (Image: Skoda)
Also read: Tata Altroz: New Made-In-India Electric Hatchback To Get A Global Unveil At Geneva Motor Show
With the KLEMENT, SKODA is aiming to penetrate the micro mobility market globally, a segment that the company has shown interest in repeatedly. Aykut G¨¹nderen, the head of Modules and Platforms at SKODA, explains the motivation behind the concept "Our aim was to create an ecosystem to tackle transport in and outside cities to relieve urban areas of pollution, noise and traffic.¡±
And looking at the history of the auto giant, SKODA has apparently found a pretty smart way to enter the micro-mobility segment, and that is by going back to its roots. The KLEMENT, named after one of the two founders of the company, Laurin and Klement, is a distinct reminder of how the firm first started out by building bicycles.
