the karmic OSLO is a city commuter with the comfort of a child's bike

karmic unveils its latest electric bike featuring an uncomplicated design and a minimal aesthetic that’s akin to an apple product. the san-francisco based company launched the scooter-inspired ‘OSLO’ via a kickstarter campaign on tuesday (september 17).

images courtesy of karmic

karmic has tucked cables, batteries, gears, and the chain, underneath its patent-pending design. only an LCD display in the center of its soft-grip handlebars giving information on speed and battery. the hydroformed aluminum chassis features thermoplastic bodywork that weighs in at a relatively light 44lbs.

sat atop the clean, monochrome frame is a wide, long saddle inspired by the ‘long and comfortable’ seat of a child’s bike. it’s size also offers convenient storage, with space to stash your phone and wallet underneath the seat.

integrated DRL (daytime running lamp) headlights are always on and never need charging, and a wraparound tail light increases rider visibility. they also function as brake lights when users are reaching a stop. meanwhile, wide pneumatic tires and hydraulic brakes in the front and rear provide further safety and stability.

the OSLO is a class 2 e-bike which means it has both throttle and pedal assist options including eco, normal, boost. its 250-watt motor is paired with a 480 watt-hour battery for a top speed of 20mph.

it features karmic’s replaceable battery located underneath the saddle. with a new 48-volt architecture it offers higher torque, greater efficiency and faster charging. the OSLO is also the fest e-bike to use the tesla cell, a li-ion battery cell-21700 that tesla co-developed with panasonic.

karmic is hoping to raise $200,000 to get the OSLO into production and is currently garnering support via kickstarter. early bird backers can reserve one for themselves now for as little as $1,499.

project info

company: karmic

model: OSLO

price: $1,499 USD