Land Energy Could Make A Capable Lightweight Electric Motorcycle For The Trail

The electric bike will have modular batteries for quick trailside swaps.

We may earn a commission from links on this page.
Image for article titled Land Energy Could Make A Capable Lightweight Electric Motorcycle For The Trail
Photo: Land Moto

A new EV startup is developing a couple of electric motorcycles which could prove to be trail-worthy, courtesy of their low weight and swappable battery packs. The company, Land Energy, is working on a line of modular two-wheelers that can be ridden as either an e-bicycle or a full-on electric motorcycle, complete with knobby tires.

The startup claims its District bike can swap between ride modes that’ll limit its max speed. The District will go up to 20 miles per hour in e-bike mode, and up to 65 MPH in e-moto mode. There’s a mode between these called e-moped — which seems superfluous to me — that’ll go as fast as 37 MPH. The max power output in e-moto mode is 14 horsepower and 29 lb-ft of torque.

Advertisement
Image for article titled Land Energy Could Make A Capable Lightweight Electric Motorcycle For The Trail
Photo: Land Moto
Advertisement

Land Energy claims the modes can help riders progress along as they gain time in the saddle. Sure, why not? But the District’s standout feature, especially for riders that want to go off-road, is that its modularity extends to the batteries.

Advertisement

The base model will come with a single 1.8 kWh battery pack that will allegedly run 40 miles per charge. Riders can either integrate or carry another battery pack for a range of 80 miles, and there’s a 5 kWh pack that’ll go up to 100 miles. The so-called “CORE” packs will charge using a standard power outlet at home.

Image for article titled Land Energy Could Make A Capable Lightweight Electric Motorcycle For The Trail
Photo: Land Moto
Advertisement

Land Energy claims the bike will weigh from 175-195 pounds all in, depending on model. There’s a District 01, and a District Founders model. They’ll be priced at $8,000 and $15,000, respectively. The Founder’s price is way high, and RideApart notes that future models will hopefully cost less to “entice more riders.”

The District will be fully made in the U.S., meaning it may qualify for an EV credit if it ever comes to market. There’s good reason to think it might because Land Energy’s founder, Scott Colosimo, had mild success selling ICE bikes as the co-founder of Cleveland CycleWerks. Now he’s moving onto EVs.

Advertisement

The District 01 is priced in line with EV bikes from startups like Volcon, which will sell its Grunt for about $8,000. The Grunt also comes with modular batteries, but it’s not street-legal. That gives the District a leg-up, but the market could soon become competitive now that the world’s biggest bike makers have pledged to develop swappable battery tech.

Image for article titled Land Energy Could Make A Capable Lightweight Electric Motorcycle For The Trail
Photo: Land Moto
Advertisement
Image for article titled Land Energy Could Make A Capable Lightweight Electric Motorcycle For The Trail
Photo: Land Moto
Image for article titled Land Energy Could Make A Capable Lightweight Electric Motorcycle For The Trail
Photo: Land Moto