Tired of reading about electric motorcycles that can barely keep up with boulevard traffic? Bikes that might travel 40 miles, or less, before dropping dead at the side of the road? We all knew electric motorcycle technology would march forward quickly, sort of like having to replace your computer due to obsolescence every year or so (at least in the old days). Now it’s your cell phone that’s obsolete every six months.
Let’s hope the Brammo Empluse has a longer shelf life than modern cell phones. This is starting to look like a real motorcycle, with decent range and plenty of speed — even for enthusiasts. Brammo announced the Empluse earlier today in three variations, including the 6.0 (capable of a 60-mile range), the 8.0 (80 miles), and the 10.0 (100 miles). These ranges come from a single charge from a normal, standard U.S. electrical outlet.
More important, and impressive, is the Brammo claim that each Empluse model “will be capable of sustaining 100 mph.” This may not be Hayabusa/ZX-14 territory, but it is plenty for most riders in the real world . . . something you could not say about most of the electric motorcycles available up to this point.
Brammo says Empluse deliveries will start next year at prices of $9,995 (for the 6.0), $11,995 (for the 8.0), and $13,995 (for the 10.0). According to Brammo, “the Empluse 10.0 may cost as little as $7,000 in certain states after Federal and State incentives.” Your CPA has all the details.
Brammo is claiming exclusive, innovative technology that includes a “breakthrough in price/energy density . . . unequalled in the electric vehicle industry.” According to Brammo, the Empluse also features the “World’s first production electric motorcycle to have a water cooled motor.” Here is the full press release from Brammo:
Brammo, Inc. announced today it will begin production of an electric sportbike, calling it the “Empulse.” Brammo demonstrated a pre-production prototype today and all three production models of the Empulse will be capable of sustaining 100 mph. The three models will have different battery capacities, all utilizing an innovative proprietary array, the Brammo Power™ battery and vehicle management system. The Empulse is available for immediate order and deliveries will commence in 2011.
Craig Bramscher, Founder and CEO of Brammo, said, “Motorcycle riders have been requesting increased speed and range and I am proud and delighted to reveal these game-changing Brammo electric motorcycles. Our customers expect Brammo to design and produce the world’s most exciting (and affordable) electric motorcycles and that’s exactly what we have done.” Bramscher continued, “Today’s announcement promises no more range anxiety for Brammo customers.”
The Empulse Trio
All three models of the Empulse will be freeway capable and will enjoy a top speed in excess of 100 mph. Each of the three models will offer customers a different average range from a single charge. The Empulse 6.0 is capable of 60 miles (96 kilometers) average range, the Empulse 8.0 is capable of 80 miles (129 kilometers) average range and the top of the line Empulse 10.0 is capable of a travelling 100 miles (161 kilometers) on a single charge. Range of all three models can be extended by travelling at lower speeds.
The estimated MSRP for the Empulse trio when deliveries start next year are; Empulse 6.0 $9,995, Empulse 8.0 $11,995 and Empulse 10.0 $13,995. All three models will be eligible for Federal and State tax incentives. For example, the Empulse 10.0 may cost as little as $7,000 in certain states after Federal and State incentives.
Empulse Technology
Today’s announcement sees the first application of Brammo’s innovative Brammo Digital Drivetrain™ including the Brammo Power™ battery pack and Brammo Power™ vehicle management system. Brammo’s breakthrough in price/energy density is at the heart of today’s announcement and is unequalled in the electric vehicle industry. The Empulse is also the world’s first production electric motorcycle to have a water cooled motor.
Brian Wismann, Director of Product Development at Brammo and designer of the Empulse, said, “The Empulse reveals the significant price performance that we can deliver using Brammo Power™ technology. Just like it did with the Enertia Powercycle, Brammo has again raised the bar in terms of electrical drivetrain innovation and time to market.”
Empulse Availability
Customers can place their order for an Empulse by visiting the Brammo website www.brammo.com. Deliveries are expected to commence in mid-2011 and orders will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Customers placing an order will be expected to place a refundable deposit once their Empulse is within 90 days of delivery. The Brammo range of motorcycles will be available globally through select motorcycle dealerships and participating Best Buy stores during 2011.
Brammo Distribution
Brammo is expanding its dealership network both within the USA and in Europe and Asia. Organizations interested in selling and servicing the Brammo range of motorcycles, which includes the award winning Enertia, can register their interest by visiting www.brammo.com/dealerapplication
Adrian Stewart, director of Sales and Marketing at Brammo, said, “We are always looking for individuals and organizations that want to enter into a long term business partnership with Brammo to sell and service our range of electric vehicles. JCAM, our distributor and dealer in Hong Kong and Singapore is an excellent example of such an organization.”
Forged in the Heat of Competition
Brammo Power™ technology employed in the Empulse is race proven in the Brammo Empulse RR race bike. You can see the Empulse RR in action at the 2010 Red Bull Grand Prix, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Brammo will race the Empulse RR in the FIM e-Power series which will see 15 electric motorcycle teams from around the world compete on this demanding circuit.
Meet the Empulse
Brammo CEO Craig Bramscher will be unveiling the Empulse at the 2010 Red Bull Grand Prix at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, 11.15am, Saturday July 24th 2010.
Later this year the Empulse will be at EICMA Milan, Italy and at the Macau Grand Prix, China.
About Brammo
Brammo, Inc. is a leading electric vehicle technology company headquartered in North America. Brammo designs and develops electric vehicles including the award winning Brammo Enertia motorcycle. Brammo is an OEM supplier of its innovative Brammo Digital Drivetrain™ systems including the Brammo Power™ battery pack and Brammo Power™ vehicle management system. Brammo has vehicle distribution and marketing operations in North America, Europe and Asia.
This is tempting specially at that price point. May not be a hyper i4, but still looks like fun…especially for an electric.
Here’s a little thought experiment for you: consider the pros and cons of owning and riding a horse for transportation vs. owning and riding a motorcycle from, say, 1910
Give it a little time. The future is looking promising.
http://gas2.org/2009/03/12/mit-battery-breakthrough-could-revolutionize-electric-cars/
I like it. I like the look even. But…
I have a singular fear of what electric motorcycles will bring. That is the end to epic journeys. I’m one of those guys who chooses to ride to far away places rather than fly and within a short period of time. I’ve done 3 trips to Alaska from Houston, Texas and my dad is halfway through his 1st right now. I’ve also gone as far east to St. Johns, Newfoundland and as far south as Panama City. Would these trips ever be possible on an e-bike? Not in a 2 week time frame…or 3. Even other 1000 mile trips over 2 weekends and a 5 day workweek are out of the question. You can not possibly ride til you’re empty, recharge and go.
Will touring and sport touring bikes become something you only see in a museum? In the past 400,000+ miles I’ve done, I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing a lot of North America. I still have more to see. Hopefully the internal combustion engine won’t disappear in my lifetime. And hopefully the price to pay to keep it around won’t be $30/gallon gasoline.
Electric storage will improve.
I love the concept of electric vehicles, but it’s going to be a loooong time before eBikes are a realistic choice. The Chemistry just isn’t there! Performance is barely that of a 400cc gasoline engine, but the bigger issue is the range. For (short range)commuting or running to the store for milk, sure, this or any of the ebikes or scooters are fine. However, for REAL riding, whether it be touring, sport riding, spending a day at the track or any form of PERFORMANCE riding, the batteries are just not up to the task.
I believe, when there is breakthrough in chemistry and battery technology takes the requisite quantum leap, then we’ll see REAL motorcycle manufacturers get in the game and we’ll have viable, realistic choices in ebikes. But as cute as these current offerings are, they’re about as exciting as an electric lawn mower.
Perhaps, purely for utilitarianism, there is some value in these bikes. For me though, as a performance minded rider, I need to see 400 mile ranges and power-to-weight ratios, AT LEAST, approaching even just that of a traditional 650cc motorcycle. Realistically though, that won’t happen for years!
Don’t know what you’re riding, but if you add up the range of all three of my motorcycles, still don’t get to 400 miles. As others have pointed out, you can refuel en route with a gasoline powered vehicle, which may be where you’re getting your 400 mile figure?
The good news is that torque-to-weight ratios exceeding those of a traditional 650cc motorcycle are here today, despite your claim that it won’t happen for years. Guess now you’ll just have to explain to your wife why you need room for another motorcycle in the garage 😉
The “motor puts out 55bhp and 59 lb-ft of torque which needs to power a bike that weighs just 390lbs ready-to-ride. That gives it a power-to-weight ratio of .141 hp/lbs and a torque-to-weight ratio of .151 lb-ft/lbs. Compare those number to the SV650’s .167 hp/lbs and .109 lb-ft/lbs and you’ll see that the Brammo is slightly behind on power-to-weight and slightly ahead on torque-to-weight”
From Hell for Leather Magazine (http://hellforleathermagazine.com/2010/07/brammo-empulse-electric-parity.html)
Think of an electric motor as a super-diesel: may not have as much horsepower as a gas engine, but more torque over a broader range.
At least this still looks like a real motorcycle.. The 100 mile range would make for a good commuter bike.. Wouldn’t be my choice as an only bike, but as a second bike, I could see it.. It will be interesting to see how the electric bikes progress over the next few years..
Actually 50% of electricity comes from the burning of coal. The rest comes from nuclear, hydroelectric (especially in the Pacific NW) and other sources
http://www.americaspower.org/The-Facts/Factoids
I’d like to see this technology developed along the lines of a proper dirt bike. Something beyond the electic mountain bikes that are available now would be great.
I am constantly amazed by the negative approach that most of the posters on this site take to serious innovation. People who ride for daily transportation average less than 40 miles per day. Usually, considerably less. Most of you guys seem to be preoccupied with heading out on the weekends just for the joy of the ride. Too much of the present motorcycle culture focuses on transportainment rather than utility. If most cars were used in the way that most motorcyclists use our vehicles, all the highways would be jammed on the weekends, rather than weekdays as they are now.
Electric vehicles are the future. Get over it. Just like electric cars, early electric motorcycles will have shorter than optimal ranges. But, the fact that Brammo has moved the ball so far down the field in such a short period is nothing short of stunning!
I agree. 100 miles a day is great for an EV. I commute 50 miles a day. I can afford to let a vehicle recharge overnight. Until we get recharging stations built, EVs aren’t going to be the bike for the Iron Butt crowd. You are going to tour on todays EVs.
More importantly, they made it look cool, not like a overloaded bicycle.
While Motoczysz is still the best looking and performing electric, unfortunately they are not currently consumer/street available. The Brammo Enertia and Zero Street did nothing for me aesthetically, but this Empulse is actually not a bad looking machine. I would consider it. I hope it sells well to early adopters and the company can continue to develop longer range models.
Thanks Butch – we are working hard to drive the technology and performance foward. I think you will like the Empulse RR that we will be racing at Laguna Seca in 8 days time…..
Ten years away, at least from any form of viability.
I want to ride, not be stuck close to home with hours of recharging.
I don’t want to be thinking about how many miles I’m taking out of my ride every time I whack open the throttle!
Is anyone aware that the best electric systems are 80 times less effecient than internal combustion engines?
I’m not opposed to developing this technology, but let’s be realistic, it’s just not there yet.
Not Excited!
I have to challenge you assertion of the internal combustion engine being more efficient than a electric motor. I think you should look that up again. If any thing the electrical motor is very efficient compared to an internal combustion engine. The problem with EVs has always been about the batteries.
Notice the word I used “systems”.
Yes, electric “motors” are great and very efficient, however, when you factor in charging times, and length of operation, they are far less efficient.
As I said before, just not there yet.
Did you think about how long it took to make that gasoline that you are burning? The millions of years to produce the crude oil… Every side lies for their statistics, that is part of the game, but seriously, electric motors are multiple times more efficient than commonly used internal combustion engines and generating power at a central facility (like a power plant) allows for cleaner and more efficient generation. A million dollar scrubber is nothing at a billion dollar power plant, but it is prohibitively expensive to put one on every car.
To those who comment on the idea that the grid can’t handle charging all of our EVs, I have to call shenanigans. An EV pulls about as much as 4 plasma TVs. I don’t see anyone worried about the electric grid when Best Buy has a sale. Also, following a typical commute, EVs would charge at night which would help take up spare capacity.
Great!!!! I want one.
I like the looks, etc…. but 100 miles just ain’t cuttin it!
This forum is supposed to be about bikes, right??? then what’s this BS from above….
I have an issue with the anti nuke power guy above (Tom Barber) … “electrical power derived mainly from coal and nuclear fission is inherently bad”….every modern nation on earth (France, England, Norway, Sweden, Arabs, etc…) all use nuke power safely & efficiently & until the US demands this, we’re going to remain addicted to oil. Forget about all the touchy-feely “green” energy… I’d love to have a windmill in my backyard pumping residual electricity back into the grid & I’d love to have some solar panels on my house too but since no one has a job or can afford to buy them & even if they could, the banks aren’t lending, this industry will remain a tiny portion of how we produce energy. Nuke power would go a long, long way to supplying us with clean, efficient power. Are there risks? of course, but there’s a huge difference between what technology & safety was like in the 1970’s & now in 2011.
I love natural gas fired home heating but I must say, all of the news reports of what’s happening in PA due to all of the nat gas drilling is a little horrifying… I believe you can find the vids on youtube of water coming out of people’s faucets that can be lit on fire because the nat gas has infiltrated & combined with the ground water supplies in a lot of areas of PA. SO… my toilet could burst into flames if I live in PA in certain areas…. & that’s not an issue? So should we regulate the sh*t out of nat gas production, like we did with nuke power, until no one drills anymore nat gas wells? OK,…then what…
& 1 more “green” energy farce…. methanol from corn mixed with gasoline! What a crock of sh*t that is. Everyone knows that’s just a govt subsidy (my tax money) to corn producers by politicians… same as Obamacare… they don’t “care” about any of us… it’s another tax the pols will use to buy the votes of illegal aliens when they grant the millions of them asylum, citizenship, voting rights, etc….
The only thing “inheritenly bad” is the thought process that guy used to write that trash….. unless… wait.. read it again… it sounds like he’s a spokesman for the nat gas industry…. “The point is, when you think of electrical power, you should think rightly of natural gas, not coal, and although nuclear power will not be shut down anytime soon, it could be if we were willing to fully embrace natural gas, which I think we will gradually over the next few decades. It is likely, I believe, that within a few decades natural gas will be the predominant source of electrical power around the world.
When you think electrical power, think natural gas. It is the way of the future. Get on board”
sounds like a TV ad for nat gas….
Let’s keep the discussion to bikes please!!!!!!!!!!
Rico you nailed it
Some Coal facts for fun
–America has more than 250 billion tons of recoverable coal reserves, the equivalent of 800 billion barrels of oil, more than three times Saudi Arabia’s proven oil reserves.
–Coal accounts for almost half of the electricity use in the U.S.
–Coal costs less than any other major fossil fuel source.
–America has more than 200 years of available coal reserves.
No I don’t work for a coal company but I did grow up in coal country.
http://www.americaspower.org/The-Facts/Factoids
What also should be mentioned is the liquid ( water ) cooled electric motor. Notice: heat still plays an effect on performance. I think it is great that some company is making this “electric” thing work. Cell phones, laptops, power drills, etc, have all changed over the years. Keep going!!! The Future is coming!!
@Mack – Loud pipes don’t save lives, they annoy neighbors, pedestrians, cyclists, children, grandmothers, pets, and pretty much everyone who isn’t slowly going deaf in their saddle. Modern autos have sound insulation and loud stereos, all your noise is coming out a megaphone pointed behind you – the only way a cager will hear you is if they’re directly behind you with their windows open, and then they’ll be complaining to themselves about “stupid loud motorcycles” and how they can further limit where the rest of us can ride our much less obnoxious machines.
Electric motos are the future, no doubt about it. The range of this bike is much more than the average rider uses on a daily basis, and it’s only going up while the battery price is going down. For those that like torque and handling, electic motos will outperform their gassy brethren very soon!
I have not purposely made a vehicle louder since I clipped a playing card to fork of my banana bike in 1973. You should paint with a more narrow brush on the the “look at me! Look at me!” loud pipe riders.
For whatever it’s worth, a co-worker of mine drives a hybrid. She mentioned that people get surprise when she pulls out of a spot or come from anywhere except the front because there is no sound when it’s on electric…I guess that’s where the horn comes in. As long as people don’t find it rude of course.
I think the technology is great but the range will still be a problem. Even with the 10.0 can you realistically expect a weekend ride will only be 100 miles? The design of the bike is for weekend canyon runs but I know of very few rides that are 100 miles round trip.
It would seem the better application would be something with more utility. A lot more riders can make use of a 100 mile commuter/UJM type motorcycle than a sporty one. This might get sales up and bring money for more development.
Very Nice! But can it wheelie?
I think this bike is awesome. Electrics are getting better all the time. And at a very impressive rate. It won’t be long before the naysayers are riding one. The future is electric. If you haven’t figured that out yet, then you are not paying attention.
China is now the world’s largest auto market – 13.6 million sold last year. They know that they will never be able to supply the country with enough oil to meet their demand 10 years from now. So what are they doing? They have 13 nuclear powerplants under construction right now to meet their future energy needs. We haven’t built a nuclear plant in the USA in over 30 years.
Every automaker in the world is working on pure electrics now. Mercedes-Benz and Toyota have signed deals with Tesla to use their technology. The Nissan Leaf is almost here. GM just introduced a fully-developed electric car charging station. A Better Place is co-operating with Nissan-Renault on battery changing stations in Japan. As far as powersports are concerned, Polaris has a full-electric off-road vehicle that is in production today.
Even the Arabs know that the world cannot run on oil forever. Witness Masdar city. The UAE is building an entire city designed for 50,000 people that will be completely zero emissions, zero waste. This from the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. http://www.masdar.ae
Don’t get me wrong. I love internal combustion engines. Nothing sounds quite like my 1974 Norton Commando. And I’m competing in a autocross tomorrow in my 6.0 liter, 400 hp Corvette.
But I would still buy one of these new Brammos. So cool.
Excellent post Gary! Great summary
I like it! I need it! I hope they are available in Japan soon for something similar to the same price as in the States! Gas here is 6 bucks a gallon and distances are generally shorter and speed are generally lower than in the states. Hell just an oil change costs close to 200 bucks here! And electric bike would save me a lot of yen!
When you think electrical power, think natural gas.
It is wrong to associate this bike, and other electric vehicles, with coal and nuclear power per se. The problems with nuclear power are well understand, and even for people to young to remember Three-Mile Island, and who think that it is possible to guarantee that accidents won’t happen, there is the fact that the leftover radioactive waste remains dangerous for a period of time several times greater than all of recorded human history. Coal is dirty, dirty, dirty. So-called clean coal is a lie. They claim that they can extract the CO2 and shove it back into the ground. They do not know how long it will stay in the ground, and even it leaches out over a period of, say, a thousand years, that is still a problem.
I do not mean to suggest that electrical power is inherently bad, only that electrical power derived mainly from coal and nuclear fission is inherently bad. In the interim, natural gas is the best option. Because it is predominately methane, it is the lightest among the family of hydrocarbons, and has the lowest ratio of carbon to hydrogen. Coal is at the other end of the extreme, consisting mostly of carbon with only a small amount of hydrogen. All new electrical power plants should be designed for burning nat gas, and the remaining ones that still burn coal should be converted over to nat gas sometime in the near future. There are various other means to obtain natural energy sources to electrical power, but none of the other methods are realistic alternatives on a large scale. The conversion from coal to nat gas has been taking place slowly, and will continue to take place. The present administration avoids this topic because it is emotionally charged in the USA, especially in areas in Appalachia where people depend on coal mining for their way of living.
The point is, when you think of electrical power, you should think rightly of natural gas, not coal, and although nuclear power will not be shut down anytime soon, it could be if we were willing to fully embrace natural gas, which I think we will gradually over the next few decades. It is likely, I believe, that within a few decades natural gas will be the predominant source of electrical power around the world.
When you think electrical power, think natural gas. It is the way of the future. Get on board.
I live in methane and coal country. They’ve pumped out billions of gallons of groundwater, messed up the water tables and the transport infrastructure isn’t there. Natural gas is still burning fossil fuels and contrary to popular opinion is still a finite source of energy. If the population and demand keeps going up we’re gonna need, coal, gas, wind, solar and any kilowat we can get. Seen any houses with a 40 or 60 amp servicebox being built lately?
This bike is a really great step in the right direction. It will really take off when the infrastructure is in place and they get the recharge rates up (less time to charge batteries and more of them). My biggest gripe withe most new bikes is lack of range. These electric bikes are really close to the range of a bike with a 3 gal tank @35 mpg. Look at the charts and you’ll see a lot of sub 4 gal gastanks and under 40 mpg. We’re almost there. I’d love to have one, but, still trying to wear out my current fossils.
How long does it take you to fill a 3 gallon gas tank?
How long does it take you to recharge an electric bike?
Not ready for prime time!
Well I think it’s pretty cool that when I wake up every morning my “tank” is always full and it has cost me about 30 cents. But you are right we need to fit restrictors to all the gas pumps to level up the playing field 😉
Yo Tom,
how long you been a shill for the Natural Gas industry?? You know the water coming out of people’s faucets & in their toilets in parts of Pennsylvania can be lit on fire very easily because your “clean” natural gas is dissolved in the water.. check youtube for videos…
Steve
Stinky is right..Despite what folks think the market will drive alternatives to oil. The cheapest alternative is coal. Natural gas is great but should be reserved for heating homes rather than firing a boiler used to create steam to run a turbine to turn a generator. Natural Gas reserves are far lower than our coal reserves. Coal fired electrical plants have come a long way in terms of environmental impact. Some would say ski areas have a greater negative impact on the environment and wild life than a power plant. Stinky is right we will need all forms to replace oil.
You really need to read up on the current state of nuclear reactor technology before spreading FUD. As this is a motorcycle forum I’ll not take up space with a detailed discussion, but your 20-30 year old understanding of radioactive waste issues (hint: we can reprocess it and reuse it as fuel for the latest generation of reactors, and they in turn produce waste that becomes relatively inert after 100-200 years and is compact enough to store in your thermos) can be refuted with a simple Google or Wikipedia search, to say nothing of the more scientifically rigorous resources available to those willing to dig deeper.
Nuclear is the cleanest, safest way to bridge the gap between our polluted coal-fired present and solar/hydrogen/geothermal/whatever-fueled future.
Back on topic: looking forward to test riding one of these.
$10k for the shortest range model – get real. Even with tax credits it’s still too expensive for most riders I know.
So much for going out for the afternoon ride ? What are you gonna do plug in at McDonalds for a few hours to get back home. Neat to look at but not yet practical.
Also, why is it they never just come out and tell you the first question that comes to mind with any electric vehicle. How long does it take for a full charge from near dead? Can I take the cord with me and let it charge over lunch giving me a 200 mile day?
Brammo agree we would like to see an industry standard.We provided Enertias to major bike mags and web sites so they can test them. I believe we are the only EV company to use an independent thrid party to validate range using a ride profile developed by the EPA for measuring emissions and fuel economy of new vehicles including motorcycles. One of the tests involves driving the motorcycle on a dynamometer that “simulates” driving on the road. This is required to make sure that every vehicle is driven under the same conditions each time the test is run to eliminate variability. The drive cycle is called the Federal Test Procedure 75 LA4 (FTP LA4) and simulates a driving cycle on US highway #4 in LA, California.
Agreed.
The LA4 driving cycle Adrian refers to is an urban driving cycle (http://www.epa.gov/nvfel/testing/dynamometer.htm) despite his use of the word “highway”. Adrian did mention that he’s is in marketing 😉
The Highway Fuel Economy Driving Schedule (HWFET) represents highway driving conditions under 60 mph, and is closer to what you’re asking for.
As other users have pointed out, weekend/leisure riders will use their bikes in a way which more closely approximates the US06 high acceleration aggressive driving schedule.
But all this testing by an “independent third party” is expensive, and as some commenters have pointed out, an electric vehicle is best suited to an urban driving schedule. You could conclude from Brammo’s selection of an urban test cycle that it agrees, or if you’re cynical, that it wants to provide the highest possible distance figure.
Perhaps we’ll see more commuter-styled bikes in future, much as Tesla has licensed the technology from its sporty flagship vehicle to Toyota for an electric RAV4 (http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/17/business/la-fi-0717-autos-tesla-20100717).
As a side note, and as Adrian mentions (though some may have missed it), the EPA drive cycles are designed to test FUEL ECONOMY and emissions rather than distance. There is is controversy over how this applies to electric vehicles (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/04/20/epa-still-not-settled-on-mpg-labels-for-plug-ins-volt-unlikely/), though in the case of the Volt, it’s complicated by the partial gas nature of the vehicle.
When will these marketing types realize that we want to hear the damn thing. Would it have kills them to have 15 seconds of on board audio through the twisties without annoying music and voice over?
I agree and I am in charge of Marketing so go figure 🙂 We will realease raw video very shortly and you can hear that baby sing…
Way cool. Electrics are the future. Would love to have a full fairing version of this bike. The U.S. has more coal than any other country by far. We just need to get off our butts and build more coal fired and nuclear power plants. We could OPEC to take a hike. Afraid the coal and nuclear opponents will hold us back though. You will probably see bikes take off in countries like France where they produce cheap electricity from nuclear power plants.
What a cool ride. The first electric I’ve seen that gives me that “wow, gotta have it” feeling. Good luck Brammo, hope you sell a ton of em!
100 mph capable, ok. 100 mile range fantastic. Now then how far will it go averaging 55, or 65 mph? Did I miss how long the recharge period is? Will my employer flip out if I plug in, I’m guessing yes, please prove me wrong. I commute 80 miles a day, half back roads and half the slab. Tell me this bike will do it, please.
Weight is 390 pounds. Lower than SV650, CBR1000RR, etc. 15 pounds heavier than the Ninja 250.
I just love it that production electric bikes are with us now. Sure, they’ll improve rapidly from year to year. This is already a pretty spiffy bike, though. It’d be a helluva commuter.
Hey all.
Reality – these will become more common place in industry. The automotive industry in general is heading down this path – in addition to the Electricity Distributors. Globally, EV (electric vehicles) are gaining momentum as a need for the Green Impacts on the globe. Hundred of billions of dollars are spent annually around the world on development and deployment of smart networks to support energy efficiencies through renewable and “coal burn” reductions. The motorcycle industry will follow the lead of the trust car sector by having international standards developed for “battery replacement” or “batter swap” stations – which ARE being built. What does this mean – ride onto a platform and watch as the automated system replaces your battery in about 2 to 3 minutes.
Dont believe me, do your own research.
These batteries made by Toshiba are claimed to go 6000 charge cycles without significant degradation:
http://www.toshiba.com/ind/product_display.jsp?id1=821
At 100 miles between charges, that’s 600,000 miles…how many miles have you ridden this year?
I guess you can’t stop anywhere unless you carry that unwieldly bike stand with you. Ouch.
Dont worry, by the time the Empulse goes into production it will have a kickstand I promise…..
Hopefully they will black out the battery. No sense in having a yellow rectanglular box messing up the lines of a pretty slick design…
Q for anyone interested: Has there ever been a study done to show the EMF on these bikes and/or cars…….. I mean, cruising along is one thing, but cruising along and having m’boys slowly microwaved is another …………M
and what will they weigh? I do have some reluctance about an electric motorcycle and that is battery life. My cell phones and laptop have always deteriorated much much quicker than advertised. They don’t hold a charge well after a few months. Can we expect the same sort of decreasing “mileage” out of an electric bike?
This is the breakthrough everyone has been waiting for. This really is the future arriving next year. Wow! 100 miles and 100 mph. Even 60 miles distance is ok for an hour plus around town minimum.
The implications for car batteries are huge. If this kind of weight and power can be scalled up for cars, imagine what kind of car, particularly German car we will be driving in the 2000andteens. OH MI God!
Wow, that’s one unique-looking and generally aesthetically pleasing bike. Granted, a bunch of batteries hanging off of it still looks like crap compared to an actual engine, but still a nice attempt at making electric bikes “cool”.
Sorry not too many cool looking engines out there anymore, with hoses running everwhere. Watercooled engines just don’t expose well. Look at the Duc Streefighter vs 1100 Monster.