Priyadarshan Bawikar                                     13 Feb 2009

A couple of months ago, we had brought you the latest scoop on KTM testing its prototype electric endure motorcycle. Now however, sources have revealed more details about this bike and more interestingly, the fact that the Austrian manufacturer recently announced plans for putting it into mass production from 2010.

KTM has been testing a fully functional electric endure bike since about mid-2008. The yet to be named bike, commonly dubbed only as the EV Enduro, is a zero emissions enduro motorcycle that KTM hopes might see competition use in the future. While it may be powered by a measly 7 kW (that's about 10 PS in horsepower terms) electric motor, the same motor is able to generate extremely large amounts of torque, 40 Nm to be precise, at extremely low RPM. And with the combined weight of the motor and battery only at 17 kg, the bike overall manages to tip the scales at just about 90 kg, thanks to a lack of a gearbox, cooling system, fuel as well as an exhaust.

KTM estimates that the price of this motorcycle, when put into production from next year, will not be much higher than a comparable conventionally powered sport enduro bike from the company's own line-up. The real highlights of the EV Enduro are that the bike is able to manage to run for one full hour at peak load and the time required for a full recharge is about the same. KTM believes that such the zero emissions approach is clearly the future and will help their bikes appeal to a wider audience as well as increase access to areas which currently ban noisy internal combustion vehicles.