201HP AND 1200NM FOR THE VERGE TS ULTRA

A new electric superbike from Finnish firm Verge has just been revealed – and it boasts some seriously impressive performance stats, and an eye-watering price...

It’s that time of the year again, when the Consumer Electronics Show rolls around – and as usual there was some seriously cool machinery on display, including this funky battery-powered superbike from Verge Motorcycles.

You might have heard of Verge before. The company’s been about for a few years now, slowly realising a small range of electric roadsters (which began to make it into punters’ hands last year). But now it’s stepping things up a notch with the introduction of its highestspecification bike yet: the V erg eT S Ultra.

On paper it’s an incredibly capable bit of kit, with the factory claiming its newest ride will kick out a massive 1,200Nm of torque and a production-superb ikeri val ling201bhp.It’ s also expected to reach speeds of 124mph, manage up to 233 miles on a single charge, with a battery which can be topped up from zero to 80 per cent in as little as 25 minutes. Impressive stuff, right?

Like the rest of its range, Verge’s TS Ultra is centred around a futuristic hubless design and rim-mounted motor, which helps it stand out from the crowd in the increasingly crowded electric motorcycle market. And with a commitment to either making its own parts in-house or sourcing from ‘top-ofthe-line European manufacturers’, should help give potential customers confidence that the bike’s a serious bit of kit for proper bikers.

The only problem is the price. The TS Ultra’s €44,900 price tag (which is just shy of £40,000) puts it in direct competition with Ducati’s bonkers but brilliant (and very beautiful) Panigale V4 R.

That is not the bike you want to be up against – and it’s difficult to imagine too many bikers opting for the Verge given the choice, no matter how good it actually is. If you had the money, which one would you choose?