This Chinese One-Wheel Electric Bike Is Perfect For Beating Rush Hour Traffic

The contraption comes with a hefty price tag though

Electric two-wheelers are not bound by the conventional method of packaging the battery and motor components, unlike their IC counterparts. But it seems like the makers of this contraption have taken this thought too far. Meet the Alibaba unibike, an EV unlike anything most of us have seen or experienced.

Not having a traditional front end or bodywork hasn’t deterred the designers from doing their best. In fact, if this one-wheeled wonder zoomed past you, it could be easily mistaken for a certain Italian streetfighter, thanks to the muscular faux fuel tank and trellis frame. But is it really that quick?

Being propelled by a 2000 watt hub motor, the unibike can achieve a top speed of 48kmph. While it may not seem like much, keep in mind that it weighs a mere 40kg. So, how does one ride this EV?

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Details are scarce at the moment, however, people who previously experimented with electric unibikes used gyroscopes to keep the riders from kissing the tarmac. So, leaning forward would translate into acceleration and leaning back will slow you down. That said, weirdly, this bike has what seems to be a brake lever. So until we get more details on this unique creation, we shall reserve our judgement.

As for the battery, the unibike uses Panasonic cells, with option of kitting it up to a 1,360kwh battery pack. The promised range varies from 60 to 100km and while it may seem a bit optimistic in a regular electric scooter, it makes sense on this pint-sized unibike. Charging time could be anywhere between 3 to 12 hours, depending on the battery.

The Alibaba Unibike is available to order online at USD 1,800 or roughly Rs 1.30 lakh, which is a bit pricey for such a contraption. However, if you are looking for something that grabs eyeballs, you wouldn’t go wrong with this one.