It’s difficult to come up with something revolutionary in the already-crowded electric bicycle market, but where electric motorcycles are concerned, there’s still plenty of room for breathing – and improvement.
The Tarform Luna would like to start by declaring itself the bike of the future. Tarform is a Brooklyn startup that aims to marry the principles of sustainability with a good-quality build and the joys of riding, and it’s been working on an e-bike that could deliver on all counts for several years.
This e-bike was initially announced in 2018, with a tentative 2019 delivery, but progress was delayed by a series of setbacks. In January this year, when we covered it, it was still a project surrounded in uncertainty and lacking exact specs, but at the very least, it was open for pre-orders.
The Tarform e-bike has been officially relaunched: the Luna is here and she means business. “The vehicles of tomorrow should be built to last, with the spirit of craftsmanship preserved. Vehicles should be built for upgradability and not obsolescence,” Taras Kravtchouk, passionate rider, industrial designer and founder of Tarform, says.
The idea behind the Luna is that it aims for sustainability, good performance and modularity, and it’s all these things at once. About 55 percent of the bike is made with 3D-printed parts, it uses plenty of recycled materials, it’s modular so pretty much everything on it can be upgraded at a later time, and it delivers decent performance on city streets. That last part probably weighs heaviest with some buyers, no matter how environmenatally-conscious they are. After all, what use is a bike if you’re constantly stressing out over range or not able to go faster than you would with a scooter?
The Luna is a scrambler at heart, but it’s only immediately apparent in the design and total weight of 440 pounds (181 kg). It’s powered by a 41-kW (55-hp) PMAC electric motor and a 10-kWh lithium-ion battery pack with an integrated 3.3-kW charger. Range is estimated at around 120 miles (193 km) in city traffic, at low speeds, with regenerative braking taken into account. It’s not as much as with other premium e-bikes (Zero SR/F or Harley-Davidson LiveWire), but Luna aims to compensate for this with aesthetics.
The Luna can reach a top speed of 95 mph (153 kph), which, again, is not earth-shattering but is not that far behind direct rivals either. Zero to 60 (0-96 kph) takes 3.8 seconds, and the bike comes with three riding modes.
Part of the reason why this e-bike kept getting delayed is the addition of AI on safety considerations. Since day one, Tarform said it would deliver a motorcycle that included technology that would keep the rider safe, and it’s doing that with radar blind spot detection, rear-facing camera, and connectivity. Other proprietary AI functions are incoming, the company says, falling short of mentioning them.
For the time being, though, here’s what Luna can do: through haptic feedback, it will alert the rider of incoming vehicles outside the field of vision. The seat vibrates and warns of vehicles coming from the side or the back, while the rear-facing camera will offer a look at what the mirror can’t see. Bluetooth connectivity and a dedicated app allow the rider to see the ride at a later time, and improve on it based on suggestions and stat analysis.
The “Sonic Aura Acoustic Sound System” is another safety feature, though this time, it’s geared at pedestrians. It’s meant to warn them of the bike’s approach, when it’s traveling at low speeds and not making any sound.
Keyless ignition, standard 18-inch wheels (cast aluminum or spoked), a hand-built aluminum body, 3.4-inch round HD display and an 80 percent charge in 50 minutes, are also part of the package. To build the Luna, Tarform used vegan leather (made of kombucha and pineapple-leaf fibers), recycled plastic packaging, and biodegradable cornstarch plastic. Paints and primers could soon be replaced by mono material using algae- and iron-based metallic pigments.
In short, the Luna promises to deliver a little something for everyone, but make no mistake about it, this e-bike is not for everyone. Before the base model goes into production, Tarform will make a 54-item limited series of the Founder Edition, with prices starting at $42,000. The Luna FE will be introduced this summer.
Towards the end of the year, the base model will go into production, with deliveries scheduled for 2021. Pricing for a standard Luna starts at $24,000, which is higher than the $18,000 price tag announced earlier this year but still cheaper than the LiveWire.
This e-bike was initially announced in 2018, with a tentative 2019 delivery, but progress was delayed by a series of setbacks. In January this year, when we covered it, it was still a project surrounded in uncertainty and lacking exact specs, but at the very least, it was open for pre-orders.
The Tarform e-bike has been officially relaunched: the Luna is here and she means business. “The vehicles of tomorrow should be built to last, with the spirit of craftsmanship preserved. Vehicles should be built for upgradability and not obsolescence,” Taras Kravtchouk, passionate rider, industrial designer and founder of Tarform, says.
The Luna is a scrambler at heart, but it’s only immediately apparent in the design and total weight of 440 pounds (181 kg). It’s powered by a 41-kW (55-hp) PMAC electric motor and a 10-kWh lithium-ion battery pack with an integrated 3.3-kW charger. Range is estimated at around 120 miles (193 km) in city traffic, at low speeds, with regenerative braking taken into account. It’s not as much as with other premium e-bikes (Zero SR/F or Harley-Davidson LiveWire), but Luna aims to compensate for this with aesthetics.
The Luna can reach a top speed of 95 mph (153 kph), which, again, is not earth-shattering but is not that far behind direct rivals either. Zero to 60 (0-96 kph) takes 3.8 seconds, and the bike comes with three riding modes.
For the time being, though, here’s what Luna can do: through haptic feedback, it will alert the rider of incoming vehicles outside the field of vision. The seat vibrates and warns of vehicles coming from the side or the back, while the rear-facing camera will offer a look at what the mirror can’t see. Bluetooth connectivity and a dedicated app allow the rider to see the ride at a later time, and improve on it based on suggestions and stat analysis.
The “Sonic Aura Acoustic Sound System” is another safety feature, though this time, it’s geared at pedestrians. It’s meant to warn them of the bike’s approach, when it’s traveling at low speeds and not making any sound.
Keyless ignition, standard 18-inch wheels (cast aluminum or spoked), a hand-built aluminum body, 3.4-inch round HD display and an 80 percent charge in 50 minutes, are also part of the package. To build the Luna, Tarform used vegan leather (made of kombucha and pineapple-leaf fibers), recycled plastic packaging, and biodegradable cornstarch plastic. Paints and primers could soon be replaced by mono material using algae- and iron-based metallic pigments.
Towards the end of the year, the base model will go into production, with deliveries scheduled for 2021. Pricing for a standard Luna starts at $24,000, which is higher than the $18,000 price tag announced earlier this year but still cheaper than the LiveWire.