Photo: KTM
KTM is rumored to put an end to the electric scooter program. Unveiled last year at the Tokyo Motor Show, the Mattighofen electric scooter was named E-SPEED and was said to debut in 2015. However, it appears that KTM will not deliver this electric fun commuter, and its development is, at least for the time being, stopped.
In the absence of official statements from KTM, I would treat these rumors, which were published on visordown, with a fair dose of reserve. That is because the KTM official position was somehow against the continued development of electric motorcycles… but still the Austrian manufacturer changed its mind and subsequently revealed the Freeride E models.
Despite the rather cool attire of the E-SPEED, the same source mentions that KTM no longer believed that the scooter was not conveying the same image as the rest of the bikes in the line-up. Now, this definitely does not mean that KTM has given up the idea for good, and could simply be another way of saying that the E-SPEED project will receive a solid makeover for the future.
If this is true, I can only hope that KTM will be using a more user-friendly battery solution as a major purchase incentive for commuters. So far the E-SPEED was supposed to roll out with a 4.3 kWh battery, which was definitely above the average, but most likely not enough to draw too many customers, not even with its 2-hour recharge time.
Plus, if the styling story is true, then we might also see a more aggressively-natured machine in the future, possibly rivaling the maxi-scooter entry point machines. Even so, the specs of the E-SPEED were definitely no-nonsense, with its 14.7 hp and 35 Nm (26 lb-ft) of torque.
It doesn’t take an industry specialist to know that Mattighofen could come up with something better, but it looks like we won’t see the wraps pulled off the KTM E-SPEED this November at EICMA. Check back with us for live coverage from the Italian show in early November, especially for the Freeride E-SM supermoto beast.
No scooter… for now?
So I would rather say that KTM is planning to delay the production of the electric scooter, be it the E-SPEED or whatever name it will receive in the end. It’s not the first time when KTM is carefully analyzing the market opportunities and weighs all the possibilities in order to maximize the success of each model, and it looks like it will not be the last, either.Despite the rather cool attire of the E-SPEED, the same source mentions that KTM no longer believed that the scooter was not conveying the same image as the rest of the bikes in the line-up. Now, this definitely does not mean that KTM has given up the idea for good, and could simply be another way of saying that the E-SPEED project will receive a solid makeover for the future.
If this is true, I can only hope that KTM will be using a more user-friendly battery solution as a major purchase incentive for commuters. So far the E-SPEED was supposed to roll out with a 4.3 kWh battery, which was definitely above the average, but most likely not enough to draw too many customers, not even with its 2-hour recharge time.
Plus, if the styling story is true, then we might also see a more aggressively-natured machine in the future, possibly rivaling the maxi-scooter entry point machines. Even so, the specs of the E-SPEED were definitely no-nonsense, with its 14.7 hp and 35 Nm (26 lb-ft) of torque.
It doesn’t take an industry specialist to know that Mattighofen could come up with something better, but it looks like we won’t see the wraps pulled off the KTM E-SPEED this November at EICMA. Check back with us for live coverage from the Italian show in early November, especially for the Freeride E-SM supermoto beast.
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