Source: Pepper Motorcycles (Switzerland) | It was while observing, one day, a moped on the road in front of my house that I wondered about the future of this vehicle. At that time, the sale of electric bikes was increasing significantly. Electric bikes were becoming more and more powerful, as powerful even as these mopeds. This observation opened my eyes to one point in particular: the potential of new electric vehicle technologies! I started to imagine what an even more powerful bicycle could look like? An electric bike that could rival motorcycles?

I started drawing sketches of this “bike-motorcycle”. The further I progressed, the more the bike I was designing looked like a classic motorcycle due to its power and the absence of pedals. This led me to consider turning the the problem around : Why not try to design an electric motorcycle with features inherited from the bicycle? A light, agile and easy to use two-wheeler. A product that could be positioned in this “gap” between the E-bike and the E-moto. Features that would make it very suitable for the urban environment. From these sketches, I wanted to actually design and build a prototype of this bike.

Being a fan of vintage motorcycles and cafe racers, I added this style to the project. A style that was also popular and in demand with urban motorcyclists. Very quickly, I was joined by some friends who found the idea interesting and were also fans of motorcycles. We started to design and build the prototype step by step in our free time. Finally, we found a brand name. Pepper Motorcycles was born.

The bike

It is a light electric motorcycle. The development of the project was based on a simple concept: make an electric two-wheeler that is a cross between the motorcycle and the bicycle. We chose electric motorisation for environmental reasons and technological innovation. The choice of style is cafe racer/scrambler oriented and that’s why a special focus was put on retro design. The objective was to create an electric vehicle powerful enough for daily city and intercity trips. We designed and built a prototype according to the specifications. Its ease of use, lightness and agility, inherited from the bicycle, make it particularly well suited to the urban environment. It is thinner and lighter than most electric motorcycles in its category. This allowed us to learn, test and improve the concept.

Nominal power: 3 Kw
Peak power: 6 Kw
Voltage: 72V
Max speed: 70 KM/h
Battery capacity: 700 Wh (for prototyping)
Dry weight: 53 Kg

Today, it gives us the opportunity to know the opinions and requirements of future users.

Who is Pepper Motorcycles?

We are a young Swiss company dedicated to the construction of light electric motorcycles. Today Pepper Motorcycles is represented by a unique prototype. We want to offer a more responsible transportation alternative to people who want to move around easily and with style, in urban and trans-urban environments. We want to transmit values such as reliability, quality and safety to our products.

We have already begun working on a new version, with upgraded features such as more power and greater autonomy, which will be homologated in Europe in category L3e-A1 (125cc equivalent). Our objective is to launch a fund-raising campaign to bring it to market.

Our team:
Jonas Ohlsson: Founder, designer, engineering, manufacturing
Jonathan Canelo: Engineering, manufacturing
Denis Canelo: Business developer, manufacturing
Kevin Pereira Negri: Marketing, social media