If you’ve been keeping an eye on electric motorcycles of late, you will surely have heard of Verge's hubless e-moto sporting a donut-shaped rear wheel. It divides opinions: most folk either love it or hate it.
But that eye-popping rear wheel might soon become a lot more common; Verge has just commercialized a lot of its electric technology for use by other bike manufacturers.
A new business-to-business division called Verge Next will license Verge's technology to companies that manufacture electric bicycles, motorbikes, scooters, and mopeds. This is down to interest from global industry heavyweights who, according to Verge, expressed a desire to use the Finnish brand's technology and expertise.
Does this spell the end of Verge Motorcycles? Nope. In fact, the brand will continue to produce its radically styled electric motorcycles as we know them. In addition, Verge Next will handle the licensing and sales of the technological solutions utilized in the company's motorcycles to satisfy the demands of the international two-wheeler market.
“Over the last few years, Verge Motorcycles has paved the way for the future of motorcycles. Now, we are responding to the wishes of several manufacturers to gain access to our technology platform and components for use in their own vehicles,” said Verge Motorcycles CEO Tuomo Lehtimäki.
“Verge Next is an ever-developing ecosystem, allowing industry operators to improve the safety, driveability, and other key characteristics of their products. We have discussed potential partnerships with several manufacturers, and, with Verge Next, we are able to establish new B2B arrangements even better than before,” he added.
This program obviously includes the Donut motor, created by Verge’s partner company Donut Lab. The technology integrates the motor into the wheel rim, eliminating the need for conventional drive chains or belts, leading to a cleaner design, less mechanical loss, and noticeably smoother torque distribution – something that a lot of manufacturers want to include in their own models.
Verge has shown how the system works with a variety of two-wheelers, including sportsbikes, cafe racers, scooters, and even more basic dirt bikes. The Verge Next package also includes enhanced chassis balance, intelligent traction control, and superior battery management technologies.
It’s nice to see a company opting not to gatekeep, instead choosing to open-source its tech. That’s ballsy. So, the next time you spot an e-bike navigating the city traffic, take a second look – it might just be hubless.
Source: Verge Next
