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FTN Motion is on a mission to create "the ultimate urban machine" and co-founder Luke Sinclair says the Hamilton-based company is doing pretty well so far, with around 300 bikes on the road after five years in business and record sales over the past few months as fuel prices spiked.
He says its electric bikes sit in a sweet spot between ebikes and motorbikes. The moped version is great for first-timers (it only requires a car license, doesn't attract RUCs and can do 50km/h) and it goes for $9,000.
That's still a premium product (which it needs to be given it's a New Zealand company) but he says battery prices have come down considerably in recent years so it's now close to parity with a fuel equivalent.
The XR model is a bit higher off the ground and can hit 90km/h so it requires a motorbike license. Off-road tyres can also take you a bit further afield.
The running costs of these machines are very low, he says, so it makes for a pretty quick pay off as a commuter. They also look very cool and, as he explains, it could even help you meet a future partner.
Every time the price of petrol shoots up, we see the same kind of advice: ‘Fill up now before it gets even higher’; ‘Shop around for cheaper fuel’; ‘Use your 6c off a litre coupons; ‘Change the way you drive and stretch your tank’. We’re mostly short-term creatures so these are all pretty normal responses to a price shock, but if you're looking to save money on fuel the best advice is to think longer term and remove yourself from the volatility of imported energy entirely.
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