Pierer Mobility Confirms a KTM E-Duke is in Development

Pierer Mobility confirmed it is working on an electric KTM streetbike as part of its push towards electro mobility. The news comes from a presentation of preliminary revenues and earnings for the 2021 business year, confirming that an E-Duke is in development.

While this is the first official confirmation of an E-Duke, its development comes as no surprise, especially after KTM’s sister brand Husqvarna revealed an E-Pilen concept last April. A PDF provided to investors confirms that the E-Duke will share the same 5.5 kWh fixed battery as the E-Pilen, and delivering a claimed nominal power output of 10 kW (13.4 hp).

The PDF lists the E-Duke alongside the E-Pilen, as well as a KTM E10 youth dirtbike and a new Freeride E LV model as projects currently under development. The image of the E-Duke was intentionally pixelated to hide it’s appearance, but we managed to get our hands on an earlier draft of the file which shows a clearer glimpse of the E-Duke.

The clearer image reveals a similar frame and rear suspension as the Husqvarna E-Pilen, but with sharper, more aggressive styling that fits with the KTM brand. Interestingly, while the E10, E-Pilen and Freeride E LV appear to be sketches showing a right profile perspective of each bike, the E-Duke is shown with its kickstand down and the front wheel angled. The E-Duke also does not appear to be drawn in the same style as the other three bikes. Though we can’t see it well enough to be certain, it’s possible the E-Duke image may be a photograph of an actual prototype and not a design illustration like the others on the page. The E-Duke’s wheels look similar to the wheels on the E-Pilen Concept picture below, further suggesting the E-Duke image is from an actual physical model.

The 5.5 kWh battery and 10 kW power output would mean the E-Duke and E-Pilen will offer performance similar to a 125cc internal combustion motorcycle. While that may not sound impressive next to the Zeros, Energicas and LiveWires of the world, the low-powered approach is intentional.

Pierer Mobility’s plan is to corner the market on low-powered electric two-wheelers. This includes the electric bicycle segment, which already generates about 181 million euros in sales for Pierer Mobility.

“We recognize that you have to start on electro-mobility in niches and on young customers,” says Chief Executive Officer Stefan Pierer, before outlining some of the advantages of focusing on low-powered electric models. Pierer says the smaller battery capacities result in higher sales margins, while the lower voltages are safer to use. Focusing on younger demographics may also pay future dividends, as more powerful models will be introduced when that youth market enters adulthood.

Contrast this approach with Harley-Davidson, for example, dove into the electric motorcycle segment with the higher-power, and very pricey, LiveWire, before recently revealing plans to introduce less expensive and more accessible models in the near future.

In previous presentations, Pierer Mobility targeted a market launch of 2022 for the E-Pilen. That goal appears to have changed, with the launch target now listed as “TBD”. The launch targets for the E-Duke and E10 are likewise to be determined, but the next-generation Freeride appears to be on target to launch in 2023 with a price of about 10,000 euros (US$11,460).

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