Verge begins production of innovative TS electric motorcycle
The innovative Verge TS with its hubless rear wheel is just beginning to enter production, and the first deliveries are expected in 1-2 months time.
Verge is planning the arrival of its TS electric naked in the UK, where they expect it will retail for £30,000.
Verge is an electric manufacturer out of Finland, and its TS is a motorcycle whose statistics rival those of the top range electrics out there.
It is a curious-looking machine, partly thanks to its short tail section, but more so down to the hollow rear wheel. And, we don’t mean the spokes are hollow, we mean there are no spokes.
We wrote about the technology behind the hubless rear wheel last September, which uses the repulsion of electromagnets within the wheel rim to rotate the outer part of the rim, which drives the motorcycle.
Another obvious part of the TS’s aesthetics is the battery. It’s colossal, as you might expect, and that mass is all centred below the rider, and between the wheels, of course. It has an impressive capacity of 20.2kWh, which is 0.6kWh more than the nominal capacity of the Energica Experia’s battery, and will carry the TS for between 150 and 200 miles.
Additionally, the motor itself is impressive. A peak torque of 1000Nm and a power output of 102kW (136 horsepower) means the bike’s performance is without doubt. Although, despite a 0-62mph in four seconds, a top speed of 180kph (111mph) proves that the 249kg weight of the TS is a limiting factor.
You can check out the Verge TS in action on the video below, courtesy of Rod Kirkpatrick and EV Unplugged.
“The bike is built using our own technology - even the drive-train and battery are all made in-house,” said Verge’s marketing manager, Spencer Cutler. “We’ll be bringing our customer experience centres to the UK next year, but in the meantime people can still pre-order online.
“Our average European customer probably lives in Munich and rides the bike to the Alps on his day off - we have a wide customer demographic - but the majority are men, with expendable income aged 35 and over.
“Our UK customers will probably live somewhere like Bath, take the Verge to the Cotswolds at the weekend, use a fast-charger to top-up their battery before riding home.
“The bike has four power modes - Eco, Highway, Max and a fully custom mode using sliders on the control panel.
“You can expect to see a lot more from Verge - we’ll be expanding the family of two-wheelers and you might see things with two or more wheels in the future.”
Production of the first TS bikes has begun this week, and the first deliveries to customers is expected in between six and eight weeks.
When it arrives in the UK, the Verge TS will retail for £30,000.
Images and story courtesy of Rod Kirkpatrick/F Stop Press.
