Kollter ES1 Pro · the honest report

The 80-mile claim
needs both batteries.

An affordable, genuinely highway-capable electric motorcycle with twin removable battery packs, badged Tinbot in Europe and Artisan in the UK. We decode why the range only reaches the headline fully loaded, what one pack really gets you, and who it is for. Sources on everything.

Start with what matters
The 10-second answer

A light, honest, road-legal electric motorcycle that does the one thing budget rivals usually cannot: keep up with traffic on a real highway. Plan for ~35 miles on a single pack (the 80 mi number assumes both), ~15 hp peak, ~60 mph, and a clever twin removable battery setup you can charge indoors.

Range
up to 80 mi claimed
0miles real, single pack
80 mi needs both batteries
Power
11 kW peak headline
0hp peak (about 5 kW continuous)
peak ≠ continuous
Top speed
~60 mph claimed
0mph, highway-capable
honest, genuinely useful
Price
"affordable e-moto"
$0MSRP, ES1-S Pro
before tax + gear
Range reality · straight-line
claim 80 mi, real on a single pack:
0mi
−56% vs. the dual-pack claim
Kollter ES1 Pro · single 72V pack, mixed road
Start city, or drag the pin
Claimed (both packs)Real (single pack)
Rings are straight-line distance from your pin, real road routes are shorter still. The 80 mi claim assumes both 72V packs fitted; on one pack expect roughly half. Electrek's hands-on test extrapolated around 65 mi on the dual-battery setup. Figures from this model's sourced specs.
What it really costs

The sticker is the
smallest number.

$0MSRP (ES1-S Pro), before tax, registration and gear
Purchase $6,995
Maintenance
Gear
Charging
As a street-legal motorcycle, the full picture also includes registration and insurance, which vary widely by state and country. A full 5-year breakdown for this model is still being itemized; the figures here are illustrative segments, not a final tally.

Assumptions: $6,995 ES1-S Pro MSRP per US dealer listings (May 2026), ~$0.17/kWh US average electricity, charging cost is small because the full two-pack capacity is only about 4.5 kWh. Registration, insurance and taxes are real and not yet itemized here. We never guess these; see §9.

The full report

Every module behind the headlines: who it is for, claims vs. physics, the twin-battery math, true cost, reliability, parts, and the standard scorecard. All sourced.

The 10-second honest answer

A genuinely highway-capable street bike for the price of a nice used scooter, as long as you stay realistic about range. The 80 mi headline assumes both 72V packs; on one pack expect closer to 35 mi. It makes ~15 hp peak, sits at ~60 mph without drama, and weighs a flickable 246 to 298 lb depending on how many packs are aboard. Buy it for what it is: a light, practical commuter with a clever swappable-battery system, not a fast bike. Here is the math.

A

Is this bike for me?

Start here, the right answer depends entirely on who is asking.

01

Who it is actually for

Same bike, very different answer depending on the rider. We lead every report with this so nobody buys the wrong machine.

🏙️Budget highway commuters

The sweet spot, and the honest pitch. Electrek framed the ES1 as North America's first affordable, highway-capable electric motorcycle. It will sit in the right lane of a highway at ~60 mph without drama, for budget-bike money.

Verdict, the target buyer
🏠Apartment riders

Where the twin removable packs shine. Each weighs around 24 to 30 lb and lifts out, so you can carry them upstairs to charge indoors. For someone with no garage outlet, that is the difference between owning an EV and not.

Verdict, the battery setup solves your problem
🌍Long-distance riders

Be realistic. Even with both packs, real range lands around 65 mi (Electrek), and a single pack is roughly 35. With only ~4.5 kWh total on board, this is a commuter, not a tourer. Plan routes around the real number.

Verdict, range-limited, plan accordingly
🔨Riders far from a dealer

The catch is support. Outside the core Kollter, Tinbot and Artisan dealer networks, service and parts availability gets thin and varies by region. A great value if support is nearby, a gamble if it is not.

Verdict, check local support first
02

At a glance: claimed vs. real

Same bike, two stories. The struck-through line is what the listing tells you; the big number is what to actually expect. The "why" is in Part C.

Range
up to 80 mi claimed
0mi single pack
−56% on one pack
Power
11 kW peak headline
0kW continuous
peak ≠ continuous
Top speed
~60 mph claimed
0mph, highway-capable
honest
Price
"affordable"
$0MSRP
before tax + gear
B

Innovations

What is genuinely clever, and which "innovations" are really table-stakes. The part the brand's own page never tells you.

03

What makes it special

The ES1 Pro's standout features, rated honestly. Each badge tells you whether it is a real engineering edge, normal for its class, or marketing gloss.

🔋Twin removable batteries

The headline trick, and a genuinely useful one. Run one pack or two, each around 24 to 30 lb, and pull the spare out to charge indoors. It lets you tune the bike to your commute: short hops on one light pack, longer days on two.

✓ Solid
🎥Honestly highway-capable

The real differentiator at this price. Many budget e-motos top out below traffic speed. The ES1 Pro will hold ~60 mph and sit on a highway, which is exactly what Electrek singled out. Useful, not flashy.

★ Genuine edge (for the price)
⚖️Light and manageable

Curb weight runs about 246 to 298 lb depending on how many packs are fitted. That keeps it flickable and easy to handle, a real plus for newer or smaller riders, though it is still a motorcycle, not a bicycle.

✓ Solid
🏷️One bike, three badges

Sold as Kollter in North America, Tinbot in parts of Europe, and Artisan in the UK. Same basic bike, different stickers. Not a feature so much as a heads-up: cross-reference reviews under all three names.

≈ Naming, not a feature
Why this beats the brand's own page: the listing leads with peak power and the 80 mi number. We tell you the twin removable batteries and the genuine highway capability for the money are the real reasons to buy, that the 80 mi figure needs both packs, and that the same bike wears three different badges, so you know exactly what you are getting.

C

Keeping them honest

Marketing specs vs. the physics. The math is simple, battery capacity and a few formulas, so let us run it.

04

The "11 kW" headline, decoded

Peak watts make a great headline; they are not what carries you down the highway for more than a few seconds. Read the continuous figure to know what it actually sustains.

The ES1 Pro motor is quoted at 11 kW peak, with continuous output around 3.5 to 5 kW depending on how many packs are fitted. Convert both to the unit everyone feels:

# Horsepower = Watts ÷ 746
Peak:        11000 W ÷ 746 = 14.7 hp  (brief, for launch and merging)
Continuous:  5000 W ÷ 746 = 6.7 hp  (what it cruises on)
Peak (burst)
~15 hp · 11 kW
Continuous
~7 hp · 5 kW
The honest read: this is not a quick bike by motorcycle standards, and Kollter does not really pretend it is. The point is that the peak is enough to merge and the continuous is enough to cruise at highway speed, which is rare at this price. Think confident commuter, not backroad weapon.
05

Where "up to 80 miles" comes from

The headline gap. The claim is real, but only fully loaded with both batteries. Here is the arithmetic, and what a single pack actually gets you.

Step 1, real energy on board. Range starts with how much energy the batteries hold: voltage × amp-hours, × the number of packs. Each pack is 72V / 31Ah.

# Energy (Wh) = Voltage × Amp-hours
One pack:   72 V × 31 Ah = 2,232 Wh (2.2 kWh)
Two packs:  2,232 × 2 = 4,464 Wh (4.5 kWh nominal)
# BMS reserve + taper ≈ 88% usable (dual):
4,464 × 0.88 = ~3,930 Wh usable

Step 2, how much you spend per mile. Consumption (Wh/mi) is the whole game, and it rises sharply with speed because drag grows with the square of speed. Gentle city riding sips; sustained highway speed gulps.

# Range (mi) = Usable Wh ÷ Consumption (Wh/mi)

MARKETING (both packs, gentle ~28 mph):
up to ~80 mi  ← the brochure number

REAL, both packs, mixed (Electrek extrapolation):
~65 mi

REAL, single pack, mixed:
~half the dual figure = ~35 mi
Claimed (both)
80 mi
Real, both (test)
~65 mi
Real, single pack
~35 mi
The takeaway: the 80 mi number is honest only with both packs at gentle speed. Electrek's hands-on test landed around 65 mi on the dual-battery setup and roughly half that on one pack, which lines up with the math. Buy one pack and treat the second as the upgrade it is, and plan around 35 mi per pack, not 80.
06

Top speed is honest, and that is the trap

~60 mph claimed, and Electrek confirmed it genuinely keeps highway pace. Honest. But riding at that speed is exactly what shrinks the range above.

Held at highway speed, the bike draws hard just to maintain it, so consumption climbs and the gentle-cruise range falls away. With only ~4.5 kWh on board even fully loaded, the highway figure is well under the 80 mi headline:

So the "60 mph" and the "80 miles" on the same spec sheet are not a package deal: you get the highway pace or the long range, never both at once. The bike's real strength is that it can do highway speed at all in this price class, just not for 80 miles.

07

Charging: the swap is the real trick

Charge time is just battery size ÷ charger power, but on the ES1 Pro the smarter story is that you can pull a pack out and swap it.

# Kollter's quoted charge times
Single pack (flat):  ~3 hours
Both packs (flat):  ~6 hours

Sanity-check the single pack against our standard formula:

# Charge time (hr) ≈ Battery Wh ÷ Charger W × 1.1 (losses + taper)
2,232 Wh to hit ~3 hr implies a charger near:
2,232 × 1.1 ÷ 3 = ~820 W  (exact charger wattage being verified)
The numbers line up with a roughly sub-kilowatt charger per pack. The genuine advantage is not speed, it is the removable packs: charge one indoors while the other is on the bike, or carry a spare. That is worth more day to day than any "fast charge" badge. There is no DC fast charging.
08

Spec decoder: why every listing disagrees

Shopping for one of these, you will see the same bike listed three ways under three names. They are not all lying, here is how to read them.

You will seeWhat it really isTrust it?
Kollter / Tinbot / ArtisanThe same basic bike under three regional badges (North America / Europe / UK). Cross-reference all three for reviews.same bike
"up to 80 miles"Both 72V packs fitted, gentle speed. A best-case ceiling, not a single-pack expectation.dual-pack best-case
"~35 miles"A single pack in mixed riding. Roughly half the dual figure.realistic per pack
11 kWPeak motor output, about 15 hp. Brief burst, not sustained.peak only
"3.5 to 5 kW"Continuous output, depending on how many packs are fitted. The honest cruise figure.continuous
246 / 270 / 298 lbCurb weight varies with one or two packs and trim. Check which configuration a listing means.config-dependent
D

What it costs

The sticker is the smallest number in the story. Here is what we can verify, and what we will not guess.

09

True cost to buy (out-the-door)

The MSRP is a headline, not a checkout total. Here is what we can verify, with the registration and insurance lines left honest rather than invented.

Line itemTypicalNotes
Bike (MSRP, ES1-S Pro)$6,995Per US dealer listings (May 2026)
Sales tax (~8%)~$560Varies by state
Registration / titlebeing verifiedStreet-legal motorcycle; varies by state
Insurancebeing verifiedRequired for road use in most states
Starter gear (helmet, gloves, jacket)$300–$600Non-negotiable on a highway-capable bike
Realistic out-the-door~$7,900 + reg/insuranceBefore registration and insurance, which we do not guess
⚠ The hidden line: tariffs & import risk The ES1 Pro is built in China (Changzhou), so its US price can carry import tariffs, a moving target. Through recent years Chinese light-EV imports have at times faced stacked duties. You do not see it as a line item, but it helps explain pricing and means figures can swing. We date this note (May 2026) and recommend confirming current rates before you buy.
10

The 5-year cost to own

The number almost no one shows you. For the ES1 Pro we have the purchase price and the near-free charging math, but the registration, insurance and resale lines are too region-specific to publish as one credible figure yet. We never guess these.

A full 5-year breakdown for this model is still being itemized. As a street-legal motorcycle, an honest five-year figure has to include registration, insurance and resale, which vary too much by state and by how thin the local dealer network is for us to state one number. What we can show is the one cheap certainty: the "fuel".
# Why "fuel" is basically free (both packs)
4.46 kWh × 1.12 loss = ~5.0 kWh per full charge
5.0 × $0.17/kWh = ~$0.85 per charge
$0.85 ÷ ~65 mi = ~1.3¢ / mile in electricity
👪 Before buying, the honest checklist This is a real, highway-capable motorcycle: treat it like one. Confirm three local numbers we will not invent: your motorcycle registration and title fees, your insurance quote, and how close the nearest Kollter, Tinbot or Artisan service point is, because parts support is the main long-term variable. Budget full gear. The electricity is the cheap part; support and paperwork are the things to check before you sign.
E

Living with it

What owners and testers report, who fixes it, and whether you can get parts.

11

Service & reliability, from reviews and owners

We read the reviews and owner reports so you do not have to, and summarize the recurring themes, not cherry-picked raves.

✓ What is praised

  • Genuinely highway-capable for the price, Electrek's central point.
  • Light (about 246 to 270 lb) and easy to handle.
  • The modular twin-battery setup, run one or two, charge indoors.
  • Strong value as an entry into road-legal electric motorcycling.

✕ What is flagged

  • Modest top speed and range by motorcycle standards.
  • Limited dealer and service network outside core markets.
  • The 80 mi range only with both packs; one pack is roughly half.
  • Parts availability varies a lot by region.
Our read: press and owner sentiment is consistent. The value and the swappable batteries earn the praise; the modest performance and the thin support network are the recurring caveats. Electrek's framing, North America's first affordable highway-capable electric motorcycle, captures both the appeal and the limits. We score support separately from the bike itself because that is where the real-world variance is.
⚠ Street-legal status The ES1 Pro is sold as a street-legal motorcycle (50-state in the US per dealer listings), but you still need to register, insure and license it like any motorcycle. Requirements differ by state and country. Confirm your local rules and licence category before assuming you can ride it on the road.
12

Parts & aftermarket availability

A bike is only as ownable as its parts supply. For the ES1 Pro this is the honest weak spot, and the main thing to check before buying.

The ES1 Pro is sold through the Kollter, Tinbot and Artisan networks, and parts availability varies a lot by region. In a core market with a nearby dealer, support is reasonable; further out, both service and spares get thin. The triple-badge situation can actually help: parts and documentation may exist under whichever name is strongest in your region. Confirm local support before buying.

Part categoryAvailabilityNotes
OEM batteries (72V packs)via dealer networkThrough Kollter/Tinbot/Artisan; price being verified
Wear items (tires, brakes, pads)fairStandard motorcycle sizing helps
Charger / electronicsfairVia dealer; varies by region
Bodywork / trimregion-dependentCross-reference all three badges
F

The verdict

One scorecard, identical axes on every bike.

13

The standard scorecard

Every e-moto on the site is scored on these same eight axes, by the same rules, so a 7 here means the same thing as a 7 anywhere.

Value for money
grin per dollar
0
Real-world range
vs. claim
0
Reliability
core mechanicals
0
Support & warranty
dealer-dependent
0
Parts & aftermarket
availability
0
Cost to own
5-yr, higher=cheaper
0
Street-legal ease
as shipped
0
Family-friendliness
new / young riders
0
Bottom line: if you want an honest, road-legal electric motorcycle that handles real traffic for budget-bike money, the ES1 Pro delivers. It scores well on value, cost to own and street-legal ease, and it loses points where it was never meant to win: outright range and performance, plus a support network that thins out fast away from core markets. Buy it for what it is, a light, practical, swappable-battery commuter, plan around 35 miles per pack, and check local parts support before you sign.

The math toolkit

Our standing methodology, run identically on every e-moto, including bikes we would otherwise have reason to flatter.

5 formulas, every bike
1Real energy in the battery
Energy (Wh) = Voltage (V) × Capacity (Ah)

The only honest way to compare two batteries. 72V × 31Ah × 2 packs holds more than one pack.

2Usable energy
Usable Wh ≈ Nominal Wh × 0.85–0.90

You never use 0 to 100%. The BMS holds a reserve and voltage tapers at the bottom. We assume ~88%.

3Real range
Range (mi) = Usable Wh ÷ Consumption (Wh/mi)

Consumption is the lever: gentle city sips, highway speed gulps. Drag rises with speed².

4Power you can feel
hp = Watts ÷ 746  |  Continuous = cruise · Peak = launch

Always ask which number a spec quotes. Peak sells bikes; continuous moves them.

5Charge time
Time (hr) ≈ Battery Wh ÷ Charger W × 1.1

"Fast charging" is meaningless without the charger's wattage. The ×1.1 covers losses and taper.

Cost assumptionWe usedChange it if…
Annual mileage1,500 mi/yr (7,500 / 5 yr)You ride more → maintenance & tires rise
Electricity rate$0.17 / kWh (US avg)Your utility differs
Sales tax~8%Your state differs
Registration / insuranceNot yet itemizedStreet-legal motorcycle, so these apply and vary
ResaleNot yet estimatedThin resale data for this model

Sources & references

✓ Every figure on this page traces to a source below

We cite everything and date it, because specs, prices and tariffs change. Manufacturer figures are labeled as claims; real-world numbers are our estimates from the methodology above, or from the cited test. Spot an error? Our corrections policy means we fix it in public.

Specs & performance
Battery, charging & weight

Sources retrieved May 2026. Manufacturer pages state claimed specs; treat them as marketing figures, not independent tests. Exact charger wattage, current MSRP across trims, and registration/insurance costs vary and are marked as being verified where shown. We re-check tariffs and prices periodically because they move quickly.