The Fuell Fluid electric bike is the first product from motorcycle engineer Erik Buell's new company. Buell, a former Harley-Davidson engineer, had founded his own motorcycle brand, the Buell Motorcycle Company and later Erik Buell Racing.
His new company, simply called Fuell, is a partnership between Buell and two other companies, Spark Racing Technology, and Vanguard Motorcycles. The Fluid e-bike has a claimed range of 200 km from its two 1,008 Wh removable batteries.
According to Fuell, the e-bike, when paired with its 500-watt mid drive motor, offers 125 miles of range. There are three versions when speed is concerned: the Fluid-1, which gives you a top speed of 20 miles per hour, and the 1S version that tops to 32 mph. There's also a version exclusive sold for the EU, which can only do 15.5 mph.
At 48 volts, the battery pack can charge to eighty percent in two and a half hours using its 4-amp fast charger. It's not super impressive, but that's good enough considering batteries can be swapped easily, so getting two and another one as extra makes things convenient.
The screen, assorted controllers, and the electric drive unit are from a company called Bofeili. Except for the battery, versions of the hardware can be easily bought from many bike stores. The carbon drive belt is from a company called Gates, and the rear-geared hub is from Shimano.
The hydraulic disc brakes come from Tektro, and the bike's front fork comes from Suntour. Both companies are respected, and established brands in the bike industry and are known for supplying high-performance parts. The bike comes equipped with lights and other accessories with replacement parts available in specialty bike stores.
Via Indigogo, the Fluid-1S with two batteries is available for $3,200, making it in line with other high-end electric bikes. One might say that the Fluid's use is pretty much similar with any other e-bike, considering its components are predominantly off the shelf - so why the high price? The answer lies in the design.
If you take a look at it closely, the Fluid is definitely more elegant and cohesive than any other regular e-bikes. You won't even notice it's actually been electrified until you look closer, which is a really cool feature.
Fuell says that the first wave of Fluid e-bikes will arrive by August. We'll have to consider though that's a crowdfunding project, which means it could be late. We still hope the company makes it on time.
