Motorcycles

World's largest electric motorcycle claims a remarkable 450-mile range

World's largest electric motorcycle claims a remarkable 450-mile range
The Felo TOOZ
The Felo TOOZ
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The world's largest Electric motorcycle to date is the TOOZ, which was revealed this week at the 45th Bangkok International Motor Show by Felo, the first Thai motorcycle marque to emerge onto the world market.
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The world's largest Electric motorcycle to date is the TOOZ, which was revealed this week at the 45th Bangkok International Motor Show by Felo, the first Thai motorcycle marque to emerge onto the world market.
The Felo TOOZ
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The Felo TOOZ
The Felo TOOZ
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The Felo TOOZ
The Felo TOOZ
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The Felo TOOZ
Just as the automotive world has been revolutionised by the manufacturing economies of the electric vehicle, so too will the motorcycle world, and one of the companies starting with a clean sheet to address this opportunity is purpose-built Electric Motorcycle Company Smartech. The technology on display was impressive.
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Just as the automotive world has been revolutionised by the manufacturing economies of the electric vehicle, so too will the motorcycle world, and one of the companies starting with a clean sheet to address this opportunity is purpose-built Electric Motorcycle Company Smartech. The technology on display was impressive.
Just as the automotive world has been revolutionised by the manufacturing economies of the electric vehicle, so too will the motorcycle world, and one of the companies starting with a clean sheet to address this opportunity is purpose-built Electric Motorcycle Company Smartech. The technology on display was impressive.
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Just as the automotive world has been revolutionised by the manufacturing economies of the electric vehicle, so too will the motorcycle world, and one of the companies starting with a clean sheet to address this opportunity is purpose-built Electric Motorcycle Company Smartech. The technology on display was impressive.
Just as the automotive world has been revolutionised by the manufacturing economies of the electric vehicle, so too will the motorcycle world, and one of the companies starting with a clean sheet to address this opportunity is purpose-built Electric Motorcycle Company Smartech. The technology on display was impressive.
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Just as the automotive world has been revolutionised by the manufacturing economies of the electric vehicle, so too will the motorcycle world, and one of the companies starting with a clean sheet to address this opportunity is purpose-built Electric Motorcycle Company Smartech. The technology on display was impressive.
Just as the automotive world has been revolutionised by the manufacturing economies of the electric vehicle, so too will the motorcycle world, and one of the companies starting with a clean sheet to address this opportunity is purpose-built Electric Motorcycle Company Smartech. The technology on display was impressive.
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Just as the automotive world has been revolutionised by the manufacturing economies of the electric vehicle, so too will the motorcycle world, and one of the companies starting with a clean sheet to address this opportunity is purpose-built Electric Motorcycle Company Smartech. The technology on display was impressive.
View gallery - 8 images

Pitched as a near-future electric touring bike, the Felo TOOZ has a top speed of 125 mph, a hand-of-God mid-range, and a range of 720 kilometers per charge (450 miles). Those numbers suggest it will be one of the largest motorcycles on the road, regardless of engine type, because that's a lot of battery capacity required to go that far on one charge.

The biggest promise the TOOZ makes is high levels of technological connectivity to your phone (AKA life), and the ability to output multimedia through the 12" TFT dashboard with sound via a 6-channel surround sound speaker system.

That laptop-sized screen is also used by the navigation system, and there were no demonstrations available of how the proposed 360-degree view camera system displays.

The world's largest Electric motorcycle to date is the TOOZ, which was revealed this week at the 45th Bangkok International Motor Show by Felo, the first Thai motorcycle marque to emerge onto the world market.
The world's largest Electric motorcycle to date is the TOOZ, which was revealed this week at the 45th Bangkok International Motor Show by Felo, the first Thai motorcycle marque to emerge onto the world market.

There's also a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), ABS and a traction control system, and if, more likely when it reaches market, no doubt there will be more technological capability on board.

The intention is to make it easy to continue your digital life when on your motorcycle and we expect many of these features to be incorporated into future offerings from Felo and fellow-brand RAPID.

The Felo TOOZ
The Felo TOOZ

The TOOZ also supports TYPE2 charging (from 20% to 80% in 20 minutes) and the brief Thai literature available mentioned an optional 8 liter cooling box that can be fitted to one of the panniers. The use of the word "optional" suggests that production is already planned, so we can't wait for the next instalment.

The Felo TOOZ
The Felo TOOZ

Like most cars and motorcycles these days, you can charge your electrical devices from the TOOZ, but it also has V2L technology which means you can use the bike's batteries to supply power to your home. We don't know the motorcycle's battery capacity, but it clearly must be significant.

Smartech is one of the stars of Thailand's electric vehicle sector, with its new electric motorcycle brands FELO and RAPID both starting with a clean sheet and the company well-funded and well-resourced with expertise.

Producing motorcycles in Thailand is seemingly a good idea, because most of the world's biggest motorcycle manufacturers already produce motorcycles there. Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, BMW, Triumph and Ducati all manufacture a portion of their global range in the Kingdom.

Just as the automotive world has been revolutionised by the manufacturing economies of the electric vehicle, so too will the motorcycle world, and one of the companies starting with a clean sheet to address this opportunity is purpose-built Electric Motorcycle Company Smartech. The technology on display was impressive.
Just as the automotive world has been revolutionised by the manufacturing economies of the electric vehicle, so too will the motorcycle world, and one of the companies starting with a clean sheet to address this opportunity is purpose-built Electric Motorcycle Company Smartech. The technology on display was impressive.

Thailand might never have had "home grown" motorcycle brands of note, but it is already one of the world's largest producers of motorcycles. In terms of the value of its motorcycle exports, Thailand exports USD $3.0 billion worth of bikes annually to be the fourth largest motorcycle producer in the world. China ($12.8 billion), Germany ($3.3 billion) and Japan ($3.2 billion) sell more, but Thailand has already nudged aside India ($2.9 billion) and Italy ($2.43 billion). Within a few years we expect the order to be China first, then India then Thailand.

Then there's the gargantuan size of Thailand's domestic market (nearly 2.0 million motorcycles will be sold in Thailand in 2024) which ranks fifth in the world, with the four larger domestic markets of China, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam all close by.

Thailand also ranks in the top 10 automobile producers in the world, and hence Smartech's decision to build an innovative "clean sheet" motorcycle company in the middle of one of the world's largest motorcycle and automobile manufacturing hubs makes a lot of sense - there is no shortage of expertise there for design, prototyping, manufacturing or efficient ways of getting the goods to a global market.

That's why the Thai Government is supporting Smartech. That's why this is a well-funded high-level play, and that's what I felt when I was on the Smartech stand at this week's 45th Bangkok International Motor Show.

That's why the unveiling of the Felo Tooz is not to be under-estimated. The company already has seven pure electric motorcycles on the market and the entire vibe of the stand was about innovation and doing things a better way.

There are several other innovations that were on the Smartech stand that we'll cover individually in the near future.

For now, we have several indications that this oddly-named electric motorcycle will be a production unit in the near future.

View gallery - 8 images
6 comments
6 comments
kwalispecial
The "Lithium Wing".
WONKY KLERKY
AND JUST WHO OPERATES THE BIKE WHEN THE SEATED, BE-GLOVED IDIOT IS INUNDATED WITH THE SENSORY OVERLOAD?
AngryPenguin
A good concept, ruined by that weird compulsion to bolt a touchscreen onto everything.
MCG
I remember when I took my purple Yamaha Venture Royale 1200 from Oregon to Lake Havasu, with its 3 roomy removable travel cases, large windscreen that nearly refused to allow me to get rained on at speed, cruiser pegs, and radio. I felt like a king of the motorcycle world. This new electric machine would certainly elevate the wonderful travel experience I'll never forget so many years ago into the Heavenly Realms.
bobmeyerweb
It's telling they don't list the weight. Sounds like it's going to weigh as much as my first car, which was about 2400 lbs.
BlezInLondon
All very interesting but pardon me for being sceptical about that '450mile' range – at what speed? 30mph maybe? And what weight? Got to be 300kg plus (which, yes, I know, Gold Wings, BMW K1600s, Harleys and Indians are all above that figure already. Obviously, we need to know the size of the battery – I'm guessing at c.30kWh, and that alone will weigh c.150kg. Far better to make it more aerodynamic and therefore lighter. Remember the electric Peraves Monotracer that won the X-prize in 2010 and the DesignWerk ZeroTracer that went around the world in 80 days in 2011? They could both do 250miles at 70mph, more than a decade ago! Last but not least, look at Cedric Lynch's home-made electric streamliner: built in 1991 with lead acid batteries, upgraded to lithium in the noughties and upgraded to better lithium about 5 years ago. Cedric has covered hundreds of thousands of miles in it and since the last battery upgrade it's been able to do well over 500 miles at 50-60mph!