Vietnamese Startup Nuen Showcases The NU-E Concept Electric Motorcycle

Recent years have ushered in all sorts of new and exciting electric two-wheeler concepts. Indeed, you could say that a lot of these concepts pave the way for the future of two-wheelers, especially those with performance and enjoyment in mind. However, for now, these concepts remain exactly that: exercises in design and engineering that seek to push the limit of what is possible when it comes to motorbikes. 

It's true that nearly all motorcycles in the market now started life as a concept, and technology that's found in bikes of today was deemed outlandish a decade or so ago. As such, it's important to keep an open mind with regards to what the future holds. Vietnamese startup Nuen, for example, has a rather interesting take on the electric motorcycles of tomorrow. Its concept model, the NU-E, keeps things simple in favor of efficiency and performance. 

The NU-E is still in the development phase, and its design could dramatically change before it hits production – if at all. At present, however, the NU-E concept features a futuristic and sporty design. Sporting a very aggressive rider triangle, the NU-E gets super low clip-on bars and aggressive rearset foot pegs. It isn't a supersport bike, though, as characterized by its lack of fairings. The bike gets an ultra-minimalist aesthetic, with all of its inner workings conceaed beneath the seat – where the engine of an internal-combustion two-wheeler would otherwise be. 

The bike's theoretical performance is equally impressive, too. It's powered by an electric motor with a peak power of 10 kilowatts, or about 13.4 horsepower. While this may not seem like much – akin to that of a 125cc gasoline-powered motorbike – it's important to note that electric motors produce max power all across the rev range, as opposed to gas engines that produce it just once in the rev range. As such, electric motorbikes have incredibly precise response, and the ability to optimize power for even more performance. In fact, Nuen claims that the NU-E can hit a top speed of 94 miles per hour.

As for the bike's other features, it makes use of suspension components from KTech and EMC, as well as ISR hardware for the brakes. Another interesting thing that Nuen has done is the dash – or lack thereof. For the NU-E, the rider's smartphone will serve as the bike's instrument cluster, and in this prototype model, is mounted to the bike via a Quadlock mount, presumably with wireless chraging installed. This simple solution not only cuts costs, but keeps the bike looking incredibly simple, too. 

Nuen's NU-E electric motorcycle concept tips the scales at just 160 kilograms – surprisingly lightweight for an electric motorbike of these proportions. Thanks to this light weight, the NU-E is not only fast, but also makes good use of its battery, with Nuen claiming a highway range of up to 188 miles on a single charge.