Loncin launches electric-only sub-brand
By Ben Purvis
China's Loncin - parent to the growing Voge range that's offered throughout Europe – is adding an electric brand to its portfolio with the launch of Bicose.
Bicose (believed to be pronounced 'because'), is expected to have an official launch in June but pictures of its first model, the Real 5T, have already been released, showing a 100 km/h-plus maxi-scooter with a sophisticated look and some intriguing tech touches.
Although details are few in terms of tech, the bike has a steel underbone frame design and fairly conventional suspension, with its powertrain and transmission mounted on the swingarm like most petrol-powered scooters. However, on-board there's a massive touch-screen display that looks very much like a laptop computer - it even seems to have a hinge to allow the screen to be folded down into a recess in the bars, potentially as a security measure when the bike is parked.
Although the dash is a touchscreen, the main functions are also operated via backlit, bar-mounted control blocks. The dash display image released by Loncin shows a large '12kW' readout on the left, perhaps suggesting that a 12 kW motor is fitted to the bike, with the left-hand display showing its real-time output (replacing the rev counter that you might expect on a petrol-powered bike). On the right there's a digital speed display, and icons in the top corner appear to indicate Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and mobile connectivity.
