KTM to invest half a billion euros in e-bikes
The Austrian motorcycle manufacturer has announced plans to invest 500 million euros over the next five years in developing light electric motorcycles, as well as other research and development. For this venture, they secured a 120 million euro loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB).
KTM particularly has their eye on the research and development of electric motor systems, cooperative intelligent traffic systems (C-ITS) and light construction, for which they will be investing a significant amount of their funds.
Additionally, the investment will be put towards research, development and innovation in the area of smart materials and technologies for motorcycles, as well as future urban mobility concepts. The efforts are planned for the 2018 to 2020 time period, and will mostly take place in the KTM R&D centre in the Austrian Mattighofen. EIB vice president Andrew McDowell, who is responsible for investments in Austria, added that “Research, development and innovation are key ingredients for ensuring sustainable growth and creating high-value jobs. For the EIB, this is a top priority. Therefore I am delighted to continue our excellent and constructive cooperation with KTM.” The last part of the cooperation saw KTM receive 75 million euros from EIB back in 2014.
Meanwhile, KTM has also resented their newest electric motorcycle KTM SX – E 5 at the EICMA in Milano. The electric motorcycle is based on the successful KTM 50 SX series and was designed with the goal in mind of developing a competitive bike that is still easy enough to use for beginners. The KTM PowerPack allows for a two hour driving period at a trail pace, with 25 minutes of juice at racing speed before it needs to be charged. Charging takes about an hour using an external charger.
The kid-size bike features an electric motor with 5 kW peak performance and is fitted with 84 modern lithium-ion battery cells, which are mounted right above the motor.
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