Right around this time last year, we first heard about the MoonBike electric snow bike. Although the French-designed vehicle was in prototype form back then, its makers have now announced full specs and pricing for the production version.
To recap our previous coverage, the MoonBike is a single-passenger battery-powered rig with a snowmobile-like rubber tread in the back, and a snowboard-like steerable ski on a suspension fork in the front. And no, it doesn't have pedals – just a throttle.
The just-announced production model has a top speed of 42 km/h (26 mph), its 3-kW motor puts out 170 Nm (125 lb- ft) of torque, and is powered by a quick-swappable 2.5-kWh lithium battery. One 5.75-hour charge of that battery (or 3 hours with an optional fast charger), is claimed to be good for one hour of use in Sport mode, or 1.5 hours in Eco mode.
Those figures double if an optional second battery is added. A heated battery box allows for use in temperatures down to -25 ºC (-13 ºF).
The whole vehicle reportedly tips the scales at 87 kg (192 lb) – one battery included – and can handle a maximum rider weight of 120 kg (265 lb). It can climb slopes of up to 40 degrees, and make its way through powder snow up to a maximum depth of 30 cm (12 in).
All in all, the specs of the production model are quite close to those of the prototype.
Should you be interested in getting one for yourself, the MoonBike is priced at US$8,500 – buyers can place a $250 deposit via the MoonBikes website. Deliveries are expected to commence in mid-January.
You can see the MoonBike in action, in the video below.
Source: MoonBikes
@michael_dowling, you could hear how loud they were in the background during vocals. Loud clacking, almost resembling a 2-stroke expansion chamber sound. But, yeah, you're absolutely right. I hate ad guys, especially when they insert some old Top 40 muzak.
Back to the deisgn phase on this one. It's also too fugly to justify the $8500 price. If you're going to charge that much for a battery-powered scooter with a snow track, at least make it a bit aesthetically pleasing.