Electric motorcycles and scooters are indeed picking up steam at an unprecedented pace in Europe and Asia. A lot of manufacturers put sustainability and environmental awareness at their core, but the reality is that only a handful of manufacturers are really taking strides to deviate from the norm of mass-production, which usually generates a lot of waste.
One such company is Berlin-based Naon, an electric startup that previously unveiled its prototype, the Zero-One, which we discussed in detail in a previous story. The company centers on three main aspects: functionality, aesthetics, and local production, employing its workforce entirely in Germany, and producing its products with materials sourced within the country. Indeed, Naon has been able to make some strides in the development of its first scooter, as it has now unveiled what appears to be a production-ready model called the Lucy.
Our friends from German motorcycling publication Motorrad Online shared quite a lot of details about the scooter in a recent story. The Lucy is anticipated to be released in two versions – one classified as L1e, or an electric moped, and a faster, more powerful version classified as L3e, or light motorcycle. The L1e version has a top speed limited to 28 miles per hour (45 kilometers per hour), and will carry a retail price of 4,920 Euros, or about $5,270 USD. Up next, the L3e version is much faster with a top speed of 60 miles per hour (100 kilometers per hour). That said, it’s also more expensive at 6,420 Euros, or about $6,877 USD.
In terms of technology, the Naon Lucy is equipped with a hub motor that’s capable of churning out seven kilowatts of nominal power, and a torque rating of 140 pound-feet (200 Newton-meters). The battery consists of a swappable 5.2-kilowatt-hour unit housed within the scooter’s floorboard. The power pack offers a claimed range of 100 miles (160 kilometers) on a single charge. The scooter is built around a lightweight aluminum frame, and comes to a stop with ABS-equipped disc brakes.
Other advancements of the Lucy from the Zero-One concept include larger wheels, a new single-sided swingarm, a double-bridge fork, and a rear strut wishbone suspension setup. Overall, the scooter’s styling is very clean and minimalist, and fits in perfectly with the chic and stylish tech that’s become pretty much ubiquitous in the modern era. Additionally, the low-mounted battery pack means that the scooter is stable thanks to a low center of gravity, and doesn’t sacrifice under-seat storage space.
