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Cyclists on the Seine River by the French capital are not a common sight.
Just outside of Paris, New Zealand-based company Manta5 is demonstrating its latest water e-bike for the first time. “We have been told by others that this could be an alternative to what we typically see in jet ski-like products,” says Louis Wilks, head of marketing, Manta5.
“The key point of difference is that our bike has no emissions, no wake. You don’t need a trailer. It’s super, super easy to ride. It’s all-around better. Yes, maybe you don’t go as fast, but you don’t need to go fast sounding like an absolute hooligan when you want to enjoy the coastlines and the lakes and rivers and also get a great deal of fitness as well.”
Equipped with a 2.5 kW electric motor and a Bluetooth ride and throttle controller, the Manta5 SL3 is the company’s second generation of water e-bikes.
Depending on the battery configuration and fitness level, riders can expect up to four hours of cycling high above the water.
But riding on the Seine doesn’t come without a cost.
“For the 10,000 euro ($11,000) price tag, it’s not dissimilar to that of a high-end e-bike that you would get for the road. However, this bike, it’s customizable and you can adjust that for different-sized riders. So you could buy one bike for the whole family from dad to 16-year-old son and daughter,” says Wilks. Except that for that price, instead of sharing, most families could get a conventional e-bike each.
Manta5 says it hopes to lower the price as it scales up production. For now, it offers a product that doesn’t fit into any category, and it could seduce anyone from watersports fans to nature lovers.
This article was provided by The Associated Press.