Small business idea becomes electric mopeds

San Francisco-based ONYX Motorbikes is bringing the 1970s and 80s mopeds trend back in style, but with a twist – these mopeds will be electric.

ONYX founder Tim Seward started the company with an idea to make mopeds electric, and pitched the idea to Indiegogo, where innovators can apply for grants and donations for business projects.

Seward and his team have been working to meet the demand in the market, after raising nearly US $1 million. The company began deliveries at the start of February this year.

The mopeds come in two models, an entry level ONYX CTY and the flagship ONYX RCR.

The CTY’s 2.5kW rear hub motor provides a 48 km/h top speed, with a 48V and 768 Wh battery that can travel up to 64km. The RCR has a top speed of 96 km/h due to its 5.4 kW rear hub motor, 72 V and 1.66 kWh battery.

“The RCR has been 10-fold more popular than the CTY. People are looking for something more powerful than the current offerings on the market, and the RCR kicks that out for the park for most people,” Seward says.

“While the CTY is a super fun bike, it just doesn’t have the raw power of the RCR that most of our customers are after.”

Seward says the parts are manufactured all over the world and is assembled in San Francisco.

ONYX do not ship internationally, but the company are looking to provide its products internationally in the near future – no clear dates yet.