The Oracle Red Bull Racing team has revealed its upcoming vehicle, but it’s not a Formula 1 race car. It's a new e-scooter.
Dubbed the RBS #01, the machine is the result of a two-year collaboration between F1 engineers from Red Bull Racing and eBike manufacturer N Plus (opens in new tab). Despite an association with race cars, this will not be the fastest e-scooter in the world when it launches next summer. The developers instead focused on developing a hearty commuter device (opens in new tab) with an emphasis on steering. Although the RBS will probably be a rare sight on the streets because of its limited availability and high price tag.
Lightweight and speedy
Starting with its stats, the RBS has a top speed of 45 kilometers per hour (around 28 miles per hour) and a range of 60 kilometers (about 37 miles). While it does have an above-average speed and range, it's slower compared to the similar Kugoo Kirin G3 (opens in new tab)scooter, for example. But the RRBS can accelerate more quickly due to the scooter’s 80 newton-meters, or NM, of torque. Driving the scooter forward is a 750W motor which, in turn, is powered by a 760 Wh battery. It’ll take five hours to completely charge.
What’s most interesting about the RBS is its construction and possible handling prowess. With a chassis made entirely out of carbon fiber, it weighs 23 kilograms (a little over 50 pounds) so it’s a little heavy for a scooter. The weight is probably due to the size of various components. The RBS comes with an “oversized deck and wheel package”, although the website (opens in new tab) doesn’t say how wide the deck is.
The scooter sports “high-performance tires” made out of a soft compound rubber allowing it to grip the road “like glue”, according to Red Bull Racing. They’re a hefty 11-inches in diameter so you can roll over potholes with ease. Inside the wheels is a four-piston hydraulic brake system, so you can “stop like a race car.”
Looking down at the handlebars, you’ll see a small LCD screen displaying the speed, an LED headlight in front, and a little thumb throttle to the right. No extra cables are present so you won't have to deal with clutter.
Tough, yet pricey
Perusing the RBS’ engineering page (opens in new tab), you’ll see that Red Bull Racing took extra care to make sure the scooter can stand the rigors of the road. It can, according to Red Bull Racing, take jumps, drops, and slams on the ground with seemingly little to no damage. Red Bull Racing even claims the RBS is “designed to withstand 3G of load.” We reached out to learn what this means, exactly. “3G” most likely refers to the level of g-force the RBS can take, making it a pretty tough scooter. This story will be updated if we hear back.
All this can be yours for a whopping $6,000. You can pre-order right now on Red Bull Racing’s website where you’ll have to first pay a $600 deposit going toward the scooter. From there, you can pay off the rest of the $5,400 through a zero-interest installment plan. As stated earlier, there will be a limited supply although it’s unknown how many will be available.
It’s certainly quite the investment for a high-end e-scooter like the RBS. If you want something that won’t break the bank and is still high performing, be sure to check out our list of the best electric scooter for 2022.
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