He Unitrack Caterpillar It was born to face any terrain, be it snow, mud, sand or cobbled terrain. It's clear that when it comes to off-road motorized adventures, motorcycles have a pretty solid reputation. However, while ATVs have stood out in offroad, there are even more daring designs like the one we bring you on this occasion, the Unitrack Caterpillar.
By the way, it is in development and clearly, the Latvian engineers in charge of this project have chosen a path quite different from that of the rest of the industry players. Well, not all of them… We already saw another “similar” vehicle a while ago, also coming from Slavic lands.
According to its own creators, the Unitrack Caterpillar is “the first all-terrain electric monorail vehicle in the world, designed to be versatile, resistant, robust and with a clear environmental focus. Of course, it has been developed to function in a wide variety of terrain, climatic conditions and, of course, multiple tasks.«.
Instead of the conventional wheels we are used to, this vehicle replaces its propulsion system with a single track skid to distribute its weight over a larger surface area. We could say that it is still a motorcycle, since, in effect, there are two wheels, although they are accompanied by a third wheel mounted on the front to overcome larger obstacles. Clearly, it doesn't look like any motorcycle produced so far, at least electric.
All the secrets of the Unitrack Caterpillar
While there have been monorail vehicles in the past, none have reached ultimate mass production. These were small print runs that were very exclusive and difficult to obtain. Now him Unitrack Caterpillar It aims to fuse this idea with an electric drivetrain and, unlike most previous handcrafted designs, features suspension and a curved track surface that allows it to lean into corners to turn. Quite an invention.
Until now, Unitrack It has only presented some concepts and models at the Outdoor Riga fair in Latvia. Per, they have also published the design records of the finished machine through the European Union Intellectual Property Office, offering a clear and concise view of what the machine will look like. Caterpillar.
Although it uses a track skid, according to the designs we show you, it appears to have two sets of conventional tires on each axle, creating a space between them for the teeth that prevent the track from decentering. We can assume that the tires will also provide some cushioning, although the Unitrack It has an effective suspension based on coil springs at both ends.
Despite having handlebars, it appears to be there to provide a grip and house the controls, rather than to steer. The curved surface of the skate allows this machine to lean when cornering, so moving your body weight is probably the primary means of turning.
So far no details have been provided about the power of the electric motor, the autonomy of the Unitrack or your weight. At the Riga event, the team behind this machine surveyed visitors to gain insight into potential customers' preferences for performance and price. The results suggest a maximum speed of around 100km/ha demand for a range of between 100 and 200 km and a power of between 100 and 150 kW, that is, from 134 until the 200 HP.
The company plans to have a full-scale prototype in operation by the end of this year and prepare for final production and subsequent market launch in 2025.
