Born in the rugged rural environment of New Zealand, Ubco electric utility vehicles, or EUVs, have evolved over five product generations into the two main all electric minibikes available today: the exclusively off-road 2X2 Work Bike and the road-registerable 2X2 Adventure Bike. The main difference on the surface between the two is in street-legal details like turn signals and side mirrors. The big differences in legally allowed uses may add up to a lot, though, if you plan to run around town on city streets on your Ubco 2X2.

The vision for the 2X2 came from two veterans of the electric bike business who saw an opening in the market for something different. And it is different, especially if you are thinking of an electric bicycle – Ubco has eliminated the last remains of the link between pedal-powered bicycles and mini-motorbikes – there is no crank to turn the wheel and no pedals to use your own power. This is a throttle-powered electric minibike with up to a 75-mile range on a charge at top speed up to 30 mph.

While a few eBike brands have mimicked the look and feel of classic 2-stroke gas-engine minibikes, Ubco takes it a step further, and drops the effort to keep the elements of a bicycle in the equation. As a result, this is a 150-pound electric minibike that you’ll need to register like a moped or motorcycle to ride legally on the streets – and there’s no zipping off on the bike trail or up onto a sidewalk with this ride – it’s a motor vehicle, not a bicycle.

Ubco designed the 2X2 with the end result in mind, though, so it’s remarkably good at what it does – scooting around town or to the far edge of the farm quickly, quietly, and smoothly. It’s got no clutch and is designed low to the ground for stability. The company offers a wide range of accessories for hauling goods on a back or front rack or side panniers.