The electrified one-wheeler space is an interesting corner of the transportation universe. It’s easy to see their appeal; they provide e-bike-like speed and distance in a far more compact package, making them a far more appealing choice for people with limited storage space at their origin or destination.
Though these one-wheelers occupy a small niche of the personal vehicle segment, they’ve developed a strong following split amongst several sub-niches. My personal favorite is the people who take their electric unicycles (EUCs) off-road racing and rock crawling, using cycles with long-travel suspension and knobby off-road tires. Emme Hall covered one of those events for The Autopian earlier this year, and it’s as fascinating as you’d expect.
Then there are the people who take their EUCs wheel-to-wheel racing, using go-kart tracks as venues for their events. These unicyles use racing slicks, with some riders even using knee sliders—the composite pucks you’d normally find on the knees of racing motorcyclists—on the palms of their hands to keep their balance.
Though the cornering speeds aren’t very quick, the races are still wildly entertaining to watch. It’s deeply impressive to see how the riders are able to manipulate their bodies to bend around corners:
This latest unicycle from InMotion, a Chinese manufacturer of electric unicycles and scooters, feels like it leans much further in the racing direction than anywhere else. It’s called the P6, and it promises some fairly ridiculous specs, including a top speed of 93 miles per hour and a 0-30 mph time of 1.9 seconds.
That top speed makes the P6 the fastest production one-wheeler on the market, as far as I can tell, besting the Begode ET Max released last year, which could do nearly 70 mph. Maybe it’s just me, but going nearly 100 mph on a unicycle seems… insane?
I suppose doing these types of speeds on an EUC is no more dangerous than doing the same speed on a motorcycle—you’re just as exposed to the outside world, and if you’re smart, you’re wearing the same protective gear. Still, something about a human body standing on a wheel, flying through the air with nothing between it and a tree or a wall, makes me incredibly uneasy. At those speeds, even a fall to the pavement with plenty of room to roll or slide can cause some significant injuries.
Going by the photos on the P6’s product page, it looks like you’ll need a good deal of experience in riding to squeeze that 1.9-second 0-30 time. Like on other high-performance EUCs, the P6 has pads on either side of the body to hold your ankles in place, allowing you to lean forward as you accelerate. Here’s how it looks in action:
Unlike the EUCs in that first video above, the P6 isn’t a pure racing machine. There’s a headlight, taillights with turning blinkers, and a deployable trolley handle, so you can wheel it around while you walk on foot. In front of that handle is a color touch screen that displays info like speed, current charge, and error lights. So you can use it as a normal commuter if you really want to.
If I were the one-wheeling type, I would use it for the range. InMotion says the P6 can manage 124 miles on a charge, which is better than some last-generation electric streetcars. That’s thanks to a fat 4,200Wh pack of batteries supplied by Samsung, connected to the single electric motor. That motor is rated at 20 kW, or 26.8 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque, which feels like a whole lot for something that weighs just 112 pounds without a rider.
Not only is the P6 quick on the pavement, but it’s also quick to charge. The standard 5-amp charger can juice the batteries in 4 hours, but there’s an optional 14-amp charger that can pump the pack 80% full of useful electrons in just 1 hour. With USB-C and USB-A outputs, you can even use it as a gigantic, wildly impractical portable battery.
Though the P6 is advertised as something meant for on-pavement performance and track use, InMotion has photos of the unicycle traversing puddles and going down stairs. Unlike some one-wheelers, this one has a real suspension setup with 3.5 inches of travel. There’s also adjustable damping, so you can tune in the stiffness depending on what kind of terrain you find yourself on.
All of this performance can be yours for the low price of $4,999 before shipping and taxes—or exactly as much as my Miata (an entire car with air conditioning, a roof, and a radio) cost me. Not saying the two are comparable (who knows if my Miata could still hit 93 mph), but it does put the price into perspective.
Deliveries of the P6 start on December 15th, meaning if you order then, the P6 could arrive just in time for Christmas. I, for one, can’t wait to see people flying up and down my neighborhood street on the morning of the 25th, testing their unicycle to see if it could really go faster than most of The Autopian’s fleet.
Top graphic images: InMotion
Not since the human cannonball have we innovated such new and exciting ways to create human meat missiles!
The crumple zone is your face and neck.
It’s not a death TRAP because there is no structure in which you could be trapped. No Hurst tool required to get the organ donor out.
your shoe could get stuck in the pads
Not many people have special insight into exactly how they are going to die.
But if you own one of these things….
Lot of details about the go-forward. How about stopping? Does it have a disk brake? How to do you activate it?
That looks terrifying.
Man I needed one of these, about 30 years ago…
Meaning you would be dead 29.9 years ago.
I have a 160cc scooter that will eventually do 70, but I don’t push it to that point or ride on roads where that would be a reasonable speed. But oh, my wow, that thing looks terrifying. At least under my feet.
yup, I would have been like “hmm I wonder what this will do” (curtains )
I managed to survive an hour on a Segway 11 years ago. And 500 hours in a Cessna 150. I was far better trained for what I did in the airplane.
You know, the usual concern with this kind of thing is that you’re gonna injure yourself someone else, but these things? If you ride this, you know exactly what you’re signing up for, and there are very few other things out there you’re gonna win a collision with (quick, identify the crumple zone), so – stay off the sidewalk, but otherwise, what the hell, it’s between you and god, and you two can talk it out in person if anything goes wrong.
The thing about the contact patch area, the less of it there is, the more likely you’ll become one.
One more reason I wish I was younger. These look like an absolute riot.
I broke a hip just looking at that contraption. Does look like fun, though! Medicare copays be dammed to hell, sign me up! I want one.
There are a few folks in my town with these things, and holy hell, it looks like they rip! They’re usually beating traffic at absurd speeds and seem surprisingly maneuverable, though I have no idea what emergency braking on a unicycle looks like. They all wear full moto gear, and if the young-uns are gearing up, I think that says a lil somethin’!
I am astonished by the number of new and different ways to earn a Darwin Award. I will stick to motorcycles and bicycles.
Well, whether you get turned into slurry by a pickup truck while on a bicycle, a motorcycle, or a unicycle, you’re slurry all the same.
That’s why I stopped bicycling on the road. Pretty hard to get splattered by a car on a single track MTB trail
I’m right there with ya. After the pandemic drivers got way more aggressive and paid way less attention. I had a couple of close calls with inattentive drivers and too many encounters with dickless bros in giant trucks buzzing me and went MTB only, too.
Caution – Blood and guts mention ahead:
My brother has a slower version of one of these. Whilst travelling on asphalt with little personal protection (of course) he fell forward and attempted to break his fall with his ungloved hands. Both the ER doc and the surgeon called his wound “impressive”. He showed me a video of his wound after it was cleaned up, but before closing. An open bloodless wound completely across his palm. As he wiggled his fingers we could see the tendons moving up and down for all four fingers. Yeah, very impressive.
“I suppose doing these types of speeds on an EUC is no more dangerous than doing the same speed on a motorcycle—you’re just as exposed to the outside world, and if you’re smart, you’re wearing the same protective gear.“
You aren’t considering avoidance/crash mitigation capability. It’s absolutely more dangerous than on 2 wheels.
TurboFarts? I love your user name. Remind me to never ride in a vehicle with you that has lock outs on the power windows after a good buffet!!!
It seems that just like having 3 wheels makes every accident a high side, with this, every accident is going over the bars, except there are no bars.
The acceleration is impressive, but stopping in a hurry is a mystery.
Or, behind the bars on acceleration. Even with 2 wheels, Liter Supersport bikes at full throttle in 1st gear gave me the uncomfortable feeling that if I wasn’t fully committed I could be left watching the rocket continuing forward in front of me as I met the asphalt behind it.
Would love to see these guys run the Isle of Man TT.
My hamstrings cramped just watching this. Some handlebars would be nice. And another wheel. Seriously, I love it. Young people are gonna young.
Okay this is just fucking nuts. I’d rather play rollerball than even try to ride one of these. But where can I see it on tv or live