You can take your pick of exactly what the Infinite Machine P1 designers had in mind when they came up with the visuals for their ultra-eye-catching electric scooter, though the front runner, judging from initial reaction, seems to be the Tesla Cybertruck. It's actually a humble, down to earth electric moped, but one the New York based designers hope will make potential purchasers feel anything but humble.
Infinite Machine's founders are Brooklyn-based brothers Eddie and Joseph Cohen, who have backgrounds in product and website design respectively. They've been helped along the way by motorbike specialist Zach Cooper.
Joseph seems fonder of comparing Infinite Machine to Apple than Tesla.
“We see this moment in personal EVs like the moment in personal computers in the 70s, where there’s this proliferation of products, and everyone’s doing it in a different way. But, ultimately, if you look at what Apple did, they didn’t invent any one component, they put it together in one compelling package. That’s how we see what we’re doing.”
The futuristic looks come mainly from what's described as an 'aluminium and steel monochassis' and that headlight. Underneath the shiny bodywork is a 6kW rear hub motor and one of the biggest battery capacities we've seen on an e-moped, some 4.3kWh.
The dual battery setup is removable and claims a practical sounding range of up to 60 miles. There's no mention of suspension and Infinite Machine stress this is a city-only machine.
Other features that hint that the designers had at least some practicality in mind are the presence of under-seat storage plus the ability to attach an extra pair of batteries or even a pair of speakers or a trailer to the rear. The vehicle also offers a 1.4m turning radius and a reverse mode.
Speed modes, the US approach
UK rules and regs on who can drive or ride smaller electric vehicles seem a little stingy compared to mainland Europe where it's possible for a 14 year old to ride a low speed electric vehicle in some countries.
US law - according to Infinite's website - is even more liberal: "P1 can be driven without a motorcycle license at speeds up to 35 mph. For speeds up to 55 mph, activate Performance mode with a Class M license."
A Wired review that involved a test ride on a prototype Infinite Machine described it as 'shockingly fast'.
This 'speed mode' approach is something we recently saw echoed in our review of Super73's top of the range fat tyre model where the legal onus is on the rider to select the appropriate top speed for their particular country or region. This seems pretty widely accepted on US e-bikes too, but is much more frowned upon in the UK and Europe.
Digital bells and whistles
The first batch of Infinite Machine P1s have a US$10,000 price tag and are slated for availability in early 2024 - initially in the US only - though the Infinite Machine website implies that all 1,000 have been ordered.
Naturally at that price, it comes with all the digital bells and whistles on top of that impressive sounding performance.
There's a 'Wireless Carplay' capability that allows you to automatically hook up your iPhone to the display, as well as a motorlock and alarm, over the air updates and of course the inevitable app.
Is the world ready for a premium performance, premium price e-scooter? Infinite Machine are here to find out.
