For those of you who are actually still commuting to work, check this out: Japanese manufacturer ICOMA is showing off a new electric motorcycle called the Tatamel, which could be the ultimate urban gridlock buster.
While traditional motorcycles cut through downtown traffic easily, they still require a parking spot, which is going to be an inconvenience or big expense in a busy city. Not so with the Tatamel! This cute little battery bike can fold up and store away under your desk!
If you understand Japanese, and can decipher the bike’s details from the video above, we’d love to learn more. Otherwise, all we can say is what’s patently obvious: It’s a super-clever design, and a bit more practical than most of the ultra-mini machines you see coming out of Asia. The large front wheel is superior to the teeny-tiny front wheel on most of these bikes.
The electric motor means you won’t roll into the office smelling like two-stroke smoke, and the clever little fold-away handlebars, seat and pegs mean this just looks like a hip piece of furniture when rolled under your desk.
Further Japanese-language details are available at the ICOMA website here. Some Internet write-ups (see here) have translated the info and say this machine has a 50-km range, and top speed of 40 km/h. If those details are true, then this is a surprisingly capable bike for such a small machine. Maybe it won’t revolutionize the commuter world, but it might be appealing to many forced to return to the office in coming months?
The video doesn’t really offer much in the way of details. Mostly just the philosophy behind the design and decision to take on the project. The biggest functional point made was that the internal battery is designed to also be able to be used to power end-user devices, e.g., low-power appliances or mobile devices such as phones.
Specs:
Motor: Rated output 600W
Body dimensions (operating state, incl. mirror): Overall length 1230mm Overall height 1000mm Overall width 650mm
Body dimensions (stored state): Overall length 700 mm Overall height 680 mm Overall width 260 mm
Rated voltage: 51.2V
Battery: Lithium iron phosphate battery (LiFePO4)
Battery rated capacity: 12Ah (approx. 0.6kWh)
Body weight: TBD
Class: Type of moped (can be driven with an ordinary license)
Estimated maximum speed: ≤ 40km / h
Estimated cruising range: ≤ 50km
* All of these specifications are under development and may differ from the actual specifications.
Licensing, of course, is regionally determined, so the licensing class above is specific to Japanese legislation.
Haha! Thanks, Trane, I figured you might come through.
Hope you’ve been well, haven’t seen your comments in a while.
Thanks, Zac. Been mostly keeping quiet on the net of late. 😌
Finally coming out of the COVID nonsense after spending most of it unvaccinated and in front-line IT. Finally got my 2nd jab recently, so we might finally be able to relax a bit. Japan’s been slow to roll out, but we’re finally catching up.
I hope all is well with you and yours!