Making electric fun: Katalis’ Spacebar urban scooter

February 16, 2021February 25, 2021 Iain Curry 1770 Views electric scooter, katalis, spacebar

With all the government policies and arguments surrounding EVs, the billions of dollars of electric investment by legacy car brands and crazy share prices of EV startups, let’s turn the noise off briefly and focus on some electric fun.

Electric scooter fun to be precise. And best for that is heading to Jakarta in Indonesia and seeing what Katalis has come up with next.

After showcasing the customiser’s WW2 fighter plane-inspired EV.500 and EV.1000 scooters last year, the brand’s latest effort – pre-orders have already sold out – is called Spacebar.

Katalis Spacebar 1200 Watt electric scooter — Pain on the backside – Katalis Spacebar would be a standout among Uber Eats riders

In collaboration with Indonesian “multi-discipline” designer Kamengski, the titchy Spacebar with 1200 Watt electric motor features military and industrial styling on its slab-sided 1.2mm-thick aluminium body. The look apparently inspired – rather wonderfully – by a computer keyboard’s spacebar.

The handlebars fold down for greater practicality and easier storage, and specification doesn’t look bad. All in, the 1420mm-long Spacebar weighs 60kg with its 48v lithium battery, offering approximately 60-kilometres range and a top speed of 50km/h.

Its frame, swing arm and front arm are hollow aluminium tubes, suspension is from a mountain bike, there are disc brakes front and rear and 10-inch spoked wheels. The specification states its carrying capacity is 120kg, giving most riders plenty of weight in reserve for cargo.

With racks mounted front and rear, should your Uber Eats rider turn up on one of these, be sure to tip handsomely.

Besides the cool letters, numbers and graphics enhancing the body, the Spacebar’s tan single seat and twin 2.75-inch round headlights are design standouts. The knobbly tyres won’t help with comfort or road noise, but, really, what price style?

And in a lesson to public relations departments everywhere, here’s how to properly promote your product. “It (Spacebar) is small but fierce, like a piece of chilli,” said Julian Palapa, head designer at Katalis.

Katalis’ website says its first Spacebar production run of six units has already sold out, but that it would announce if a second pre-order book opens.

Iain Curry

A motoring writer and photographer for two decades, Iain started in print magazines in London as editor of Performance BMW and features writer for BMW Car, GT Porsche and 4Drive magazines. His love of motor sport and high performance petrol cars was rudely interrupted in 2011 when he was one of the first journalists to drive BMW's 1 Series ActiveE EV, and has been testing hybrids, PHEVs and EVs for Australian newspapers ever since. Based near Noosa in Queensland, his weekly newspaper articles cover new vehicle reviews and consumer advice, while his photography is regularly seen on the pages of glossy magazines.