It’s been a busy season of automotive trade shows in Asia these last two months; and in the motorcycle realm, one of the biggest and most important conventions this year was the recent Tokyo Motorcycle Show, held at the commodious Tokyo Big Sight in Japan’s bustling capital.
Now on its 46th edition, the theme of the show this year was ‘Let’s Get Started on Bike’ – a playful invitation to the general public to start considering a rider’s lifestyle. The popular convention gathered over 150 companies and organizations from around the world, and attracted approximately 150,000 attendees over the three-day event.
Among the short-but-sweet trade show presentations that particularly stood out was that of global powerhouse motorbike brand Kymco, as one of (strangely) only two motorcycle brands that had presented an electric motorcycle – and in the case of Kymco, also its charging technology – as its main event during the first day of the show.
The Taiwanese nameplate had something especially unique on highlight: its recently launched (at the EICMA) SuperNex electric supersport concept motorcycle (which, I find, looks reminiscent of a superhero vehicle straight out of Japanese sentai) and its Ionex total charging solution.
Although the vehicle is still in its concept stage, Kymco has affirmed that this two-wheeled electric motorcycle will certainly enter commercial production in the coming years.
The SuperNex is a 6-speed, supersport electric motorcycle with clutchless upshift and downshift features. It can go from 0-100 km/h in an astonishing 2.9 seconds; from 0-200 km/h in just 7.5 seconds; and 0-250 km/h in a wicked 10.9 seconds!
It also carries the world’s first Active Acoustic Motor, which is basically built with a multi-frequency acoustics generator inside, so that it could reconstruct the dynamic sounds of a mechanical motor – and therefore not take away the rush and excitement usually associated with hearing the engine roar.
An electric motorcycle therefore, need not necessarily be ‘quiet and boring.’ As a matter of fact, with the SuperNex, its rider could even go as far as tuning the specific character and volume of the engine’s sound. This is because for many sportbike riders, the sound is one of their most intense sources of thrill!
Moreover, the SuperNex offers four different riding modes, or what it likes to call ‘machine personalities’: Poised, Assertive, Bold, and Extreme. This option to customize based on one’s riding preference keeps the human-machine connection strong and alive.
Meanwhile, Ionex is what Kymco revealed as its very own, comprehensive energy supply system. It is a pioneering solution that hopes to encourage an e-mobility breakthrough in modern cities by providing easy-to-use, smart energy bays, where riders can easily eject their batteries (which weigh a bit less than 5kg), and plug them into a hub for charging. A fully charged battery may then be retrieved vending-machine style.
Furthermore, Kymco electric vehicles offer greater value in their products thanks to their capability to use Noodoe technology. Noodoe just launched its Noodoe EV OS – which is an innovative, cloud-operating OS that powers the next-generation, smart charging infrastructure. It’s different from traditional charging stations in that it is flexible enough to transform open parking lots into smart charging stations that can actually offer revenue to the lot owner. Noodoe EV OS not only takes care of the conventional charging service, but can also handle universal payment processing. The OS also provides central management functions that can configure prices based on peak hours; and has its own, automated diagnostics feature to constantly check the condition of each EV charging station (and thus reduce the cost of manpower required for maintenance work).
“Powered by Noodoe EV OS, Noodoe EV enables retail plazas, shopping malls, hotels, businesses, and governments to turn their parking lots into profitable revenue generators,” said CEO of Noodoe, Jennifer Chang. “Drivers can instantly use the charging service and simply pay via their credit card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay. Every at-the-pump payment is automatically processed. The revenue is self-generating and ongoing,” she added.
The United States and Taiwan have in fact, already been benefitting from the many advantages of Noodoe EV and Noodoe EV OS.
These assets of Kymco in the electric realm are very important, especially as they seek to become one of the pioneers of consumer-friendly, electric motorcycles. Indeed, the possibilities are boundless in the field of electric vehicles – so many features can be integrated into the machine!
“Our SuperNex electric supersport motorcycle is fast as a thought,” described KYMCO’s Chairman, Allen Ko of their feature product during his presentation at the 46th Tokyo Motorcycle Show. Adding that it is KYMCO’s goal to “turn electric into excitement.”
Are you ready to feel the rush?