Katalis EV 500 is a Steampunk Electric Moped Looking all Kinds of Vintage

Every now and again, somebody comes out with a design that cannot be ignored. This time, that design is for an electric motorcycle out of Indonesia.

When I first saw the bike, I immediately imagined some passionate WWII veteran cooking this thing up in his garage. That is not the case. First off, he’d have to be an electric engineer to push out engine components like the ones on this vehicle. And secondly, he’d have to be some sort of exterior designer too. Seriously now, when you look at it, doesn’t it just all work together?

The design aspects remind me of a steampunk style look, but it feels much more raw than that. Yeah, that’s a good word to describe it. Raw. Just some bent sheets of aluminum, rivets or bolts, two wheels and a set of handlebars.

But it’s not made by some WW veteran, it's made by the Katalis Company, of Jakarta Indonesia. And true, what we see is mostly just plain ol’ aluminum and an electric engine. The idea behind it was to bring a less polluting vehicle to the streets of Indonesia, but I honestly think it’s going to go further than that.

“We think it is quite rare to have an electric motorcycle design that has a metal body or shield,” says Julian Palapa of Katalis company. “Furthermore, the rider of this electric motorcycle will also be spoiled by various retro-style yet functional instrument panels — from an analog voltmeter to the light switch.”

The bikes layout is simple, basic, and looks to get stuff done. It reminds me a lot of the café racers we’ve been seeing a lot of lately, and with good reason. Café racers are quick, small, nimble, and perfect for inner-city traveling.

So, lets break it down and see what we have underneath this cold hard shell. The original frame is built upon a locally sold Selis Garuda, but that has been twisted and modified to the team’s liking. Aside from the rear suspension, handlebars, and body, no other modifications were made upon the preexisting Garuda components.

The teams design seems to have done away with wheel spokes, and use a seemingly monocoque construction for the wheels, with disc brakes on the exterior. The front fender is reminiscent of old school design while the rear fender seems almost nonexistent. From there, the front fork breaks through the frame just behind the headlight and shoots out the handlebars near the frame.

The entire body reminds me of WWII fighter planes, and this was definitely in the plans. It didn’t just happen. At the rear of the bike we see a padded cut-out resembling a seat. It is. Don’t know how comfortable that may be, however.

At the center of the bike we see a large squared off body. This seems to be the battery compartment. The battery is a lithium ion with a range up to 25 miles and a charge time of 3 hours.

A 500W motor offers a speed of 15 mph (24 kph), while an option for a 1000W motor should kick it up to 31 mph (50 kph).

Now keep your eyes open for Katalis in the future or check out their work on Instagram. They have already unveiled their newest addition.