Moving about in the city is becoming increasingly more challenging and stressful in a personal vehicle. Bad traffic, bad air quality, and bad manners are enough to put many off cars and focused on other means of personal transportation.
E-bikes are having quite a moment right now, as do many other types of two-wheelers, including motorcycles, kickscooters, e-scooters, and anything in between. This EV is also in between, but only if you consider that it’s basically a motorcycle chopped up in two.
Of course, the world already has electric wheels or unicycles or wheels, some of them quite powerful and impressive from a technological and design perspective. This is also an electric unicycle, but with a twist: instead of riding standing on the pedals, you sit on a seat much like you would on a motorcycle. It's a unicycle but with an electric motor attached, if you like.
Photo: Shenzhen Letengxuan Technology
This isn’t a novel or entirely uncommon idea, either: the Christopher Hoffmann-designed Rhino does the same thing, but the stance on that one is closer to standing than sitting. With this one, you adopt a stance more akin to a cafe racer, as this post on Design Boom that sounds very much like a PR release notes.
This electric unicycle is produced by Shenzhen Letengxuan Technology in China and seems to have been formally introduced in the summer of 2019. It boasts a 2,000W motor and three options for the battery pack, decent range, and a speed that is probably several times faster than you’d like it considering how easily you can topple over.
Dubbed a “contemporary and electric interpretation of the unicycle,”this unicycle sits on a single, 7.5-inch thick tire. The exact dimensions are 38 inches (96 cm) in height, 32 inches (81 cm) in length, 15 inches (38 cm) in width, which allows the maker to present it as a suitable alternative to electric scooters and even e-bikes.
Operating it seems to be done intuitively with a self-balancing mechanism by leaning forward to accelerate and backward to brake. Strangely though, there’s a brake lever in the official photos, which further drives home the comparison with a regular motorcycle cut in half to save costs and weight.
Photo: Shenzhen Letengxuan Technology
It weighs 88 pounds (40 kg) and, while it’s heavier than a standing scooter, it’s lighter than an entire motorcycle—you know, the kind with two wheels. Considering this unicycle is meant as a “compact and accessible street vehicle,” the comparison is meant to weigh heavy in the balance with future customers. You get a half a motorcycle that is just as comfortable as a full motorcycle but with a weight comparable to a heavier e-bike.
The company offers three battery options, 680 Wh, 1020 Wh, and 1360 Wh to meet commuters' varying needs. Depending on which battery pack you choose, you get a 30- to 60-mile (48- to 96.5-km) range on a single charge, which sounds good even for commuters in big cities; on paper, at least. The top speed is 30 mph (48 kph), which is three times faster than the Rhino mentioned above, and a full charge takes between 3 and 12 hours.
As per the post, this “smartly designed electric unicycle” sells for prices starting at $2,250, to which you add shipping. And whatever you’re willing to pay in hospitalization for when you go down with it in heavy city traffic.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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