GOTHENBURG: The Regent looks like an authentic cafe racer-style motorbike, except that this handsome machine has an electric motor instead of a noisy petrol engine.
The vintage looks with wire wheels are bound to appeal to motorcyclists who hanker for straightforward naked bikes, but the silent running will take some getting used to for those with an ear for a rorty exhaust note.
Powerful but noiseless acceleration and what the company calls "killer torque" are the key selling points of the Regent, along with conscience-soothing greenness.
"If you're hard into leaking fluids, clogged filters and planet-destroying, look elsewhere," say the Regent's makers. Just "hop on, push a button, ride. As simple as that."
The company plans to sell its first electric motorcycle from May 2020 and production has just started up. Only 75 examples are scheduled to leave the assembly line this year, rising to 500 which will be sold in Europe, the United States and Canada.
The package includes a maintenance free hub motor at the rear, disc brakes with ABS, GPS navigation and LED lights. The boxy centre-mounted battery case of the prototype has been given a streamlined look and the battery now offers nearly 6 kWh of capacity.
The components are put together in Sweden, but they have been garnered from all over the world.
The Regent can be ordered from the company website for €9,500 (RM44,000). Finished in black, it harks back to the days of the British-made Norton and Triumph motorcycles, whose owners would dash from one milk bar to the next on London's North Circular highway - hence the name cafe racer.
The batteries can be charged up within five to eight hours and the Regent will whisk itself to 130kph if required. The motorcycle can travel around 150km on a full charge. A more powerful version is planned for 2021.
