Moonbike is the world’s first all-electric snowbike, similar to a snowmobile, and it’s hitting the Alps this year. This French creation with skis in front and tractor treads in back retails for €10,680 (around $11,402) and can hit speeds of 26 mph, with a battery that lasts three hours. This off-road EV weighs just 87 kilograms, which is three times lighter than a snowmobile.
Additionally, the cool thing is you might not have to buy one yourself if you only plan to be in the snow for a short vacation. Tourism experts from Austrian ski resorts have just tested the Moonbike on the Kaunertal Glacier. Four Tyrolean ski resorts in the Austrian Alps plan to make this snowbike available for visitors. The bike will not be allowed on normal ski slopes, but will be permitted on closed snowbike areas or guided trails.
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“You need just five minutes until you get used to the snowbike, then you accustom yourself and soon you get smart – like on a motorbike, you must lie down in the curves and more you lie down more you have fun and find stability,” Mario Bicocchi, a bike rental company owner in Austria, told EuroNews. “It is electric, it does not cause noise or exhaust fumes.”
On the other hand, Forbes called the Moonbike the birth of snowtech. TopGear said it’s the most fun you can have on snow, high praise from a show traditionally dead against EVs. The Moonbike comes in black, white or red. The bike is 28 inches wide, which makes it fit through doorways and on standard vehicle tow hitches, or in the bed of a truck.
Moreover, the bike was crafted in partnership with Bosch Marignier, with under 200 parts with no chain or belt for easy maintenance and extremely low noise. You can get 170 Nm or 125 lb-ft of torque. This is an electric bike, all available to you on a light body, so it should be easy to haul.
Images via Moonbikes
