Maeving RM1 review: Stylish urban EV, replaceable battery, quality build

They are electric cars As drivers begin to let go of concerns about range and charging time and pursue the benefits of silence, smooth torque and negligible running costs, they’re driving more sales with a strong understanding of the market. But unfortunately, the revolution has yet to start properly on two wheels. Well-known motorcycle companies are still half-heartedly dabbling in the EVs fringes, and while startups make bold promises, they still won’t see much of their wares on the road.

Electric motorcycles they are. Available ones fall into one of two camps: either eye-wateringly expensive and self-consciously high-tech, or cheap and cheerful white goods with all the sensibilities of a tumble dryer.

But this is Maeving’s first offering, the RM1: an entry-level option on the electric motorcycle market, but regardless of performance, functionality and price, it aims to be desirable in itself. Mewing itself is based in the heart of Britain’s motor industry in Coventry, counting many ex-Triumph employees among its staff and assembling bikes there rather than exporting them to factories in Asia.

Hipster style

To create a completely new company for the first time, RM1 is undeniably impressive. The style may lean a bit towards hipster stereotypes, but it’s well proportioned and attractive.

Don’t underestimate the challenges that even this seemingly simple task poses when building an electric bike: for over a century, motorcycle design has centered on the motor, and without a crank to support its many electrical supplies, they look like plastic slabs. They try to hide battery packs that can’t live up to the aesthetics of the engine.

Mewing didn’t try to hide the fact that the RM1 is electric, but by encasing the main battery and electronics in brushed alloy casings and hiding the cables in a hood, it creates a visual effect that doesn’t look like a exhaust but has the same effect. A true rarity: a good-looking electric motorcycle.

It’s tactile too: touch those brushed alloy parts and it’s a pleasure to find real metal, not just coated plastic. Everything is finished to an impressively high standard, from the polished welds on the steel frame to the aluminum on the foot pegs. The battery packs are alloy and have wooden pieces embedded in the handle and sides so they won’t be an eyesore when charging at home. If Bang & Olufsen made motorcycles, they might look a little like this.

Portable power packs

So, what’s hiding in those alloy cases? The large, front compartment houses the main drive battery – one of two can be fitted. It sits vertically, while a second optional battery can lie horizontally in the “fuel tank” above, doubling the bike’s range. Both battery holders open electrically with a button mounted on the bar (permanent only, when standing on the side) and the batteries are easily removed. No plugs, cables or bolts, it’s that simple.