Have you ever thought to yourself, “I want a short-range electric scooter, but make it look kind of like a Spitfire”? If so, Indonesian design company Katalis is right there with you. In fact, the team may just have made all your dreams come true.
Originally intended for reveal at the Indonesia International Motor Show, the Katalis EV500 was instead unveiled digitally due to the global pandemic. Based on a Selis Garuda, Katalis discarded the original frame and swingarm and constructed all-new ones out of 6061 aluminum for the EV500. The body may be made of metal, but this bike’s pulsing heart is totally electric.
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It’s powered by a 500W electric motor and a 48V battery, which has a claimed range of 40 kilometers, or 25 miles. Top speed is also in the 25mph range. Katalis is based in Fatmawati, Indonesia, which is slightly south of Jakarta. Like most big cities, traffic is often snarled and congested, and a small and zippy little bike like this could be both stylish and ideal for dealing with short everyday commutes. If you were to ride a Katalis EV500 to work or school and then go about your day, the fast-charging battery should be topped up from empty in just three hours.
This design arose from an electric motorcycle design competition held by the IIMS, and you know how some images almost seem tactile? Looking at photos of this bike makes you almost feel the cool metal, seams, and rivets under your hands. Small touches like an analog voltmeter and light switch add to that steampunkish sense of a time out-of-time, or perhaps of having slid into a different timeline unknowingly.
Gallery: Katalis EV500
It’s unclear when or if more than just the one Katalis EV500 that the company made for IIMS will be constructed, or available for sale to the public. As a design concept, it’s quite striking, and we can only imagine what it would be like to ride. It’s likely that it wouldn’t see U.S. shores anyway, even if it was to become a production vehicle. We always love to see new visions of what’s possible, especially when they look this nice.