Is A New, Highway-Capable EV For $5,000 Possible?
A few years ago, we shared news of the upcoming Sondors Metacycle. But, since that time, upcoming has become here, which has become old news. But, we haven’t had a chance to ride one in all of that time. This is a real shame, because a new EV capable of commuting ranges and highway speeds for only $5,000 would be a bit of a gamechanger, even if that comes at the cost of being a motorcycle.
But, fortunately, somebody else got one a year ago and did a review of it. Let’s take a look at the video and then talk a bit about how impactful the bike is or isn’t.
In the video, it’s pretty clear that the vehicle is capable of doing anything that a regular motorcycle can (legally) do. 70-80 MPH? No problem. Range is about 50 miles, which isn’t going to work well at all for road trips, but that’s almost double the average American commute, so it’s good enough for city riding. If you can charge at work, the range is effectively doubled, too.
The specs aren’t what Sondors originally promised (the video explains several ways it fell short), but given that it’s around half the price of a more premium electric motorcycle, the shortcomings should be expected. Nobody’s going to buy a $5,000 electric motorcycle to go racing. This is a budget bike with a hub motor and a smaller battery, after all.
But, even if it’s not a sport bike, it still feels stable at highway speeds, still has excellent brakes, and has excellent tires that allow for reasonably good handling. For people actually daily driving this bike, it appears to be more than good enough, even if Sondors has a history of falling short of initial promises (per the video).
One shortcoming he points out is that electric motorcycles tend to be a little unstable at low speeds, largely because there’s not a flywheel providing gyroscopic stability. So, he found it beneficial to remove the switch that cut off motor power with the rear brake on. This makes for the ability to control speed while still providing some power to keep the bike from feeling “tippy”. He doesn’t mention this, but the bike still has a front brake switch, and in a panic stop, you’ll activate that, so there’s not much danger in doing this.
He had some more. There’s also some comfort problems with seat comfort, perceived quality in the battery cover, and the low volume of the alarm. But, the security system makes it tough to roll the bike away, slowing down a would-be thief trying to make off with a 300 pound bike.
Advantages? A wireless phone charging compartment, a decent “void bag” (a bag that fits inside the frame), and more. The overall verdict? That it’s pretty decent for $5,000 and gets the job done.
But, when I went to look for updated pricing, I ran into a dead end. The website doesn’t seem to be offering any ordering or pricing for the bike, and everything seems to be out of stock. A google search shows that the price may be $6500, and some people are saying the company is in trouble.
So, the question about whether a $5,000 EV that’s highway-speed capable and good enough for commuting is even possible is still an open one.
Featured image by Sondors.
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