Made in UAE, this bike can travel as fast as car; costs Dh70,000

Three UAE-based cycling enthusiasts have built a first home-made electric cycle that can well drive as fast as a car and even burn your wallet anywhere between Dh7000 to 70,000.

The bike is battery powered and can be used by both off-road enthusiasts as well as for everyday commuting within neighborhoods.

Ali al Madani one of the partners at Ebikes UAE spoke to Emirates 247, and said the idea to create a custom made bike emerged when they tried to ship one from abroad and it not suitable for the region.

"We then thought why not ship components and build one on our own and custom make it for the conditions here," says Madani.

The Saluki as they called it was designed for the UAE and is an electric desert bike. It is named after the dog that can be found in desert regions.

The Saluki e-bikes can ride at a top speed of 40kms per hour and is powered by a 2700watts battery. Fully charged the bike can take you upto 61kms.

The Saluki can be fitted with extra wide tires that allow them to glide through the sandy desert terrain.

"It is an offroad bike. You can also use it on road. The battery power depends on how much of throttle is used. You can expand the battery life by using the pedals instead," he says.

The other bikes that the company builds and markets include the Stealth B-52 the most powerful of them all. The hybrid vehicle blends traditional pedal-power with 5.2kW of pure-electric thrust, all bolted to a motocross-inspired frame.

It has a top speed of 80km and can last upto 80kms on a single charge.

It has two performance modes with an option to limit the top speed to 25km per hour or wound out to deliver a thrilling 80km/h top-end. It is priced at Dh42,500.

"We even built one with a speed of 90kms per hour. The body of the bike is quite heavy.  But we are not marketing it as yet," he adds.

The company even offers budget friendly bikes for everyday use. The Zen Step thru is a hybrid of a mountain bike and a road bike with an electric motor.

"It embodies a simple design with great functionality and one that is comfortable to ride to work, for work outs etc or even go grocery shopping," says Madani. It is powered by a 250 to 350 W battery power and is priced at Dh7000. Similarly the Ariel Rider also priced at Dh7000 has a range of 40 to 65kms per charge with a top speed of 35kms per hour.

Commenting on the safety features, he says, "We use standard batteries that are complaint with UAE and international standards. Our bikes have been fully tested."

Among some of the challenges he says, "popularizing bike use here in the UAE would require dedicated parking space and a safer cycling track. Currently we have cycling tracks only for sporting purposes. For general use we only have the facility on Jumeirah road," he adds.

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