This Startup Company Wants You To Ride Its Brutalist Electric Scooter Rather Than Drive A Car In Your City

If you’ve ever been to a big city, you’ve almost certainly encountered frustrating heavy traffic, poor infrastructure, and the struggle of taking over an hour just to travel a few miles. Oh, and then you have to find and fork out a lot of money for parking. Brooklyn brothers Eddie and Joseph Cohen think they have a solution. Their Tesla-inspired Infinite Machine P1 is a practical and brutalist city slicker for people more than frustrated with traffic. The scooter looks weird, but it uses common components so anyone can fix it.

October is turning out to be a weird month for two-wheeled vehicles, and I don’t even have to dig into the pages of history to deliver them! Earlier this week, we covered the freaky animal-like Yamaha Motoroid 2, and yesterday, an adorable Honda Monkey just trying its best to be a Harley-Davidson. Yesterday, a new startup entered the growing market of electric two-wheelers. Infinite Machine looks to solve the problems with too many cars piling into cities with a scooter that looks like it stole some metal from the Tesla Cybertruck. This is something you’ll be able to buy soon, so let’s take a look!

Infinite Machine

The story of Infinite Machine starts with two brothers, New Yorkers Eddie and Joseph Cohen. According to Wired, Eddie studied product design in school and at one point, worked in marketing at Apple. In 2018, Eddie joined forces with another entrepreneur to create Walden, a company providing products for meditation. Meanwhile, Joseph founded Universe, a website-building platform.

Both brothers enjoy motorcycles and scooters but have never built any. That changed after Joseph’s gas-powered Vespa broke down. The two decided to build a better scooter, partnering up with motorcycle enthusiast Zach Cooper to make it happen. Infinite Machine was founded in 2021 and the company imagines a future where people ride electric two-wheelers around cities rather than hopping into a car. The company goes as far as to say electric cars, especially large electric pickup trucks, aren’t the future of urban mobility:

The future of transportation is not giant electric pick up trucks. We need smarter tools for our transportation needs and dreams. A future beyond cars promises freedom, better living for everyone, and unadulterated fun. It’s better for the planet too.

It’s also what the planet needs. Cars—even electric ones—consume enormous amount of energy to produce and to run, and they take up a ton of space. Most cars on a congested road have just a single occupant in them.

Back in July, I told you how Erik Buell wants you to ride his Fuell Fllow rather than ride a bus. This is more or less the same idea. Eddie and Joseph would rather you ride this electric scooter rather than drive a GMC Hummer EV into a city. Infinite Machine says its debut vehicle, the P1, was designed to tackle the crowded streets of New York City.

The team at Infinite Machine, which includes personnel from defunct company Boosted Boards, see themselves as a bit of Apple with Tesla splashed in. To cut through these buzzwords, Infinite Machine says it’s not making anything new, just like how Apple didn’t invent the personal computer. But, like Apple, Infinite Machine wants to package existing parts into an attractive shape. At the same time, Infinite Machine wants to do to electric scooters what Tesla did to electric cars. As Wired writes, this Tesla influence is why the Infinite Machine looks like it was birthed in the back of a Tesla Cybertruck.

The P1

 

So, with all of this in mind, here is Infinite Machine’s solution to heavy traffic and expensive parking.

Infinite Machine says its scooter is made out of an aluminum and steel monochassis. The body is made up of a mix of plastic and aluminum panels. Up front is a headlight behind a metal grille. The P1 is designed to be road-legal, so it does have brake lights and turn signals. It’s unclear what the production version will have for exact lighting and mirrors.

The P1 also sports some modularity as the side panels in the rear can be removed. Infinite Machine sees a rider replacing those panels with panniers, speakers, or extra batteries. Apparently, the scooter will also be able to tow an equally geometric cargo trailer for even more carrying capacity. Infinite Machine admits that these modular panels aren’t quite ready yet, so you can’t order them.

The company expects those parts to be ready for ordering in the coming months. You’ll also be able to make your own side panels and attachments if you want to. Based on Infinite Machine’s press images, these side panels have magnets on them and stick to a track alongside the scooter.

Under this body sits a hub motor rated for 8 HP continuous output with a 16 HP boost function. The P1 is capable of hitting a top speed of 55 mph. Infinite Machine says the P1 has two riding modes. If you don’t have a motorcycle endorsement, you get locked to a restricted mode that limits top speed to 35 mph. However, if you do have that magical “M” on your license, you have access to two modes and the unrestricted 55 mph top speed. Eco mode locks you to speeds no faster than 35 mph while Performance gets you to 55 mph. There’s also a Reverse mode as well as a Turbo Boost button which ups the scooter’s acceleration. We don’t get any information about braking, suspension, or regeneration, but Infinite Machine does say the scooter has a 4.6-foot turn circle.

Fueling this motor is a pair of batteries rated at 2.16 kWh each (72 volts, 30Ah). These batteries are charged either on the scooter or can be removed for charging at home. Either way, the batteries get their power from standard 120 V outlets. Infinite Machine says it’ll take a total time of 4 to 6 hours to charge these batteries and when full, they give the scooter about 60 miles of range. Optional will be the ability to double your range with two more batteries.

Infinite Machine says the batteries in the production scooter will be in a watertight compartment and they should last 5 to 7 years of use. The company also says you’ll be able to store the motorcycle uncovered outside. That said, Infinite Machine also warns that the scooter cannot be ridden in heavy rain, snow, or off-road. Infinite Machine doesn’t elaborate on why you cannot ride the P1 in heavy rain or snow. As someone who rides rain or shine, that is a bummer. The company does say it’s still working on improving the design. My suggestion would be to improve the design enough so that it could be ridden in inclement weather like any other scooter can.

In terms of technology, the scooter runs off of a display on the bars. You get Wireless Apple CarPlay as well as Android Auto. The motorcycle is also app-connected and you can monitor and control the scooter from your phone.

Included with the technology is what sounds like a robust security system. The scooter has an alarm system that sounds a horn and lights during an attempted theft. The P1 also has a GPS tracker and a motor lock. Infinite Machine says if the GPS chip is removed, such as from a thief trying to hide the P1, the vehicle will brick itself.

Now The Heavy Part

Something interesting about Infinite Machine is that right now, the company is funded by itself and by family. As of now, the scooters will be built by Infinite Machine’s manufacturing partner in China. Infinite Machine’s goals include building its own manufacturing facility someday in the future. While the body is bespoke, the rest of the scooter is said to use common scooter parts. Thus, it should be able to be serviced by a DIY wrencher or a decent shop.

Of course, a big question about these new companies is if the vehicle even exists yet. Infinite Machine already has at least one working prototype and it’s already been in the hands of tech YouTubers and tech journalists. Weirdly, the machine has not gotten into the hands of motorcycle publications yet.

All of this sounds pretty cool, so now I have to let you down a bit. The P1 costs $10,000. That puts this scooter on the really high end of the urban vehicle chart. That’s more expensive than Vespa’s Elettrica, which is already a high $7,999. The BMW CE 02 has similar performance for $7,599. If you spend a little more money than you would on a P1, you can get the more capable $12,195 BMW CE 04, which also has really funky looks.

Now, if you’re looking for a piece of Brutalist art that you can ride down the road, then $10,000 may not be a big chunk of change. People pay way more money for less functional art. But, the P1 is supposed to be a driver of change. I would argue the best solution to problems with urban mobility would be a vehicle everyone can afford.

 

If you want your own Infinite Machine P1, the company is accepting deposits for the first 1,000 units. $1,000 secures you a spot in line. If you want one of the first 100 units, a $5,000 deposit puts you at the front of the line. Deposits are refundable for 90 days. At this time, Infinite Machine says deliveries are 12 to 18 months out.

With all of this said, I still dig the scooter’s looks. I have no doubt you’d have to leave home early just because people will want to talk about your P1. I would love to ride one of the prototypes. The P1 sounds like a fun way to glide down city streets in style.

(Images: Infinite Machine)

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