We learned earlier this week that California-based electric moped manufacturer ONYX was rebooting the short-lived CTY electric moped. That lower-cost model, with half of the speed of its bigger brother, the RCR, was put on the back burner a few years ago in favor of the much higher-demanded and higher-performance model. But now ONYX has given it new life with the CTY2, and bumped its performance specs accordingly.
When the bike first launched, most of the specs were a mystery.
That’s largely because ONYX and electric moped companies like it walk a legal tight rope strung over a gray area-sized swimming pool teeming with ill-defined sharks.
Essentially, these high-power electric mopeds ship as street-legal electric bicycles, usually meaning a limit of 750W (1 hp) of power and 20-28 mph speeds (32-45 km/h).
A user-perform modification can usually unlock their full potential, with the implication being that the user then takes responsibility. The bikes include serial numbers that can sometimes be used to register them as moped-class vehicles in some US states, though many simply follow the “better to ask for forgiveness than permission” doctrine and fly under the radar.
When the CTY2 launched less than a week ago, its specifications page was largely empty. But a source inside ONYX has now confirmed to Electrek the complete performance specs of the new electric moped.
As suspected, the ONYX CTY2 will ship in a street-legal configuration known as eco mode. Two sets of wires under the cover can be connected or disconnected to enable normal and sport modes. Sport mode will be able to make full use of the bike’s 1,500W nominal and 4,000W peak-rated hub motor.
Normal and sport modes will offer higher speeds than eco, as you can see below:
- ECO – 20 mph (32 km/h)
- NML – 30 mph (51 km/h)
- SPT – 40 mph (64 km/h)
However, the source indicated that despite sport mode’s published figure, it will actually be able to reach 45 mph (72 km/h).
The CTY2 will feature a 60V and 1.446 kWh battery that will have a new quick charging connector mounted near the bottom of the frame. This removes the need to open the cover of the bike to charge the battery or to have wires hanging out of the box.
The battery’s BMS is actually rated for up to 100A of current, but is software limited to 70A to provide a safety factor. The BMS is also Bluetooth enabled to communicate with ONYX’s smartphone application.
Range for the CTY2 will depend on the mode of operation, and is claimed to follow the figures below:
- ECO – 60 miles (96 km)
- NML – 50 miles (80 km)
- SPT – 40 miles (64 km)
The new CTY2 now has a customized KLS6018S controller that has been relocated to underneath the frame for improved cooling due to increased air flow.
The rear motor will also come with service disconnects to make it easier to remove the rear wheel for maintenance.
The new ONYX CTY2 is already available on pre-order for a price of $3,699. After California-based production begins, the first models are expected to ship by July of this year.
While we haven’t had the chance to test out the CTY2 yet, I was one of the few people to ever ride the original CTY. You can see it near the end of my review of the more powerful ONYX RCR moped below, but suffice it to say that the moped offered all of the retro design charm of the RCR, while adding a more accessible step-through design.
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