When the 80 mph (130 km/h) SONDORS Metacycle was first unveiled in January of this year, it shocked the industry with its low price of just $5,000 but also left many unanswered questions. The battery was a key unaddressed topic.
We knew that it would be a 4 kWh pack and was removable for charging off the bike.
But at the time, that’s about all we knew.
In a follow-up interview with Storm Sonders and Matt Irish, we learned the battery weighed around 54 lb (24.5 lb) and would be fairly easy to remove.
Now we’re getting our first look at how the battery actually slides out from the bottom of the electric motorcycle.
SONDORS released the video today, and you can see it below.
The video shows a keyed locking mechanism at the front of the battery area where vent holes are also located.
The push-lock disengages the battery and allows the entire unit to slide out of the side of the bike. It actually looks quite easy. I’ve had electric bicycles with batteries that were harder to remove.
A previously unseen handle is mounted at the top rear edge of the battery, which allows the rider to walk off with the battery held similarly to a briefcase.
The rider in the video does a good job of making it not look like the battery weighs over 50 pounds! Such a heavy battery is necessary for SONDORS to achieve the Metacycle’s claimed range of 80 miles (130 km).
That 80-mile figure is calculated at an average speed of around 40-45 mph (64-72 km/h). The company released a range-testing video last month demonstrating the Metacycle traveling around 48 miles (77 km) largely on the Pacific Coast Highway with 20% of its battery capacity remaining.
The negative space in the frame will ultimately offer three different accessory packages: an approximately 3 kWh auxiliary battery, a Level 2 fast charger, and a storage box. Or owners can leave the space open to retain the bike’s unique look.
SONDORS had expected the first batch of Metacycles to be delivered by Q4 2021, with pre-orders for subsequent batches carrying a 2022 estimated delivery.
The company recently announced that production was actually running ahead of schedule, and has since opened up pre-orders for delivery in late 2021 again.
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Author: Micah Toll
Source: Electrek
