It’s probably best known for its outlandish tuning work and body kits for high-powered Mercedes-Benz cars, and it also has a neat sideline in expensive limited-edition KTM-based superbikes, but now German performance firm Brabus has lent its name to a quite different product line-up: a series of urban-mobility battery-powered electric bikes built by French firm DAB Motors.
There are three bikes in the initial range: the DAB 1α Brabus priced at €16,590 + VAT, the Brabus Urban E at €20,800 + VAT, and the Brabus Urban E First Edition at a heady €32,400 plus VAT. All three share the same powertrain: an A1-legal setup with a high-performance electric architecture and a 72V, 7.1kWh lithium-ion battery pack. The firm claims a range of up to 93 miles in urban conditions, with final drive by carbon belt drive from the central-mount motor. Top speed is electronically limited to 75mph, while the integrated charging system allows charging from 50% to 100% in about 90 minutes and a full charge from empty in under four hours at any home socket or Type 2 point. And while the bikes are technically 125cc-level A1 machines, the motors put out peak power of up to 37bhp, with torquey delivery, giving a high-performance electric experience. The First Edition is limited to 40 units, with just 10 bikes available in each of four wild colour options borrowed from supercars: Peetch, Desert Sand, Superviolet, and Fusion Red.
The Brabus bikes came about from a chance meeting at the Monaco Yacht Show between Constantin Buschmann (CEO of Brabus) and Simon Dabadie (founder of DAB Motors). It seems unlikely that they’ll become volume sellers!
More details available at www.brabus.com.