Make way for the MoonBike

Listening to the peace and quiet of the French Alps being shattered by fleets of noisy, smelly snowmobiles, French aeronautical engineer Nicolas Muron decided there had to be a better way to travel to the mountains in winter. Something like an e-bike for the snow that was lightweight, easy to maintain, and sustainable. Muron designed the ‘MoonBike’ which at 163 lbs, weighed less than one third as much as a typical snowmobile. It is 88 inches long, 28 inches wide, and rides on a track that is ten inches in width. Its electric motor is rated at 3 Kw (4 hp) and provides 170 Nm (125 ft-lbs) of torque — enough power to easily sling the MoonBike up the steepest mountain slopes. Peak power is 6 kW (8 hp) and the top speed is 42 km/h (26 mph). Just like an electric car, the MoonBike has 90% fewer moving parts than a combustion engine powered snowmobile. The machine is designed to be easily repairable as it uses mostly off the shelf parts.