As the world is being encouraged to ditch the petrol and diesel vehicles and go electric, the Streetdog could be an attractive option.
The electric motorbike is made be Wellington-based company FTN Motion. Its first production run sold out, and there is now a waitlist of people trying to secure the second run.
Photo: Screenshot
Founder and designer Luke Sinclair tells Lisa Owen about the bike.
"What we really wanted to do was make great looking mopeds and motorbikes that also happened to be highly practical, fun and happened to be electric as well.
"We really wanted to prioritise how we could make EVs fit people's lives better... really suit their lifestyle."
Sinclair said the 50cc moped does not require a driver's licence and will go 100km from one battery charge so it's a practical option for getting to work or buying the groceries.
He said it has enough power to get up Wellington's hills and will withstand its wind too.
Both he and the co-founder studied engineering at Waikato University and they realised electric vehicles could outperform petrol vehicles in terms of performance and functionality but there was "a lameness" associated with EVs.
"So we really wanted to break that down."
They have drawn on classic motorcycle designs for some of their inspiration. A Streetdog moped costs $9000, "a fair price", considering its range and ease of storage, Sinclair said.
The business is looking to develop a larger range of two-wheel designs both for urban and open road and is also hoping to start exporting.
Getting parts has been "challenging" and has encouraged them to look for local producers and manufacturers.
"It makes the whole thing a lot easier to control in terms of quality and getting through these initial R&D stages - getting a sage and good working product out there."
