Now that's electric!
It is easy to forget that electric vehicles, EV are not just for cars. Electric motorcycles have atracted a lot of attention lately and there are rarely more enthusiastic people than motorcycle drivers. So what is going on with the electric motorcycle? A hidden revolution.
The gist is that if car EVs have exponentially improved compared to their quaint 100 year old origines, the electric motorcycle is gaining a lot of ground, exponentially. You did know the electric car is over a hundred years old, right?
Mission One, Sets The Bar High. If the Tesla Roadster is one of the Uber EV to own right now, the Mission One wants to grab that spot for electric motorcycles. In fact, some of the Tesla's ex-staff is on the team.
Technically Speaking. The Mission One aims very high with a breath taking 100ft-lbs of torque that will give you enough to fine tune your piloting. With a 150 miles of range, you should have plenty for a few days worht of driving and with a top speed of 150mph... Well, I let you dream on.
Zero Motorcycles. The other motorcycle that has received a fair amount of press coverage is the Zero Motorcycle company, starting with their two bikes, a dirt one and their new Zero S. (What is it about calling your secod model S, anyway?)
Technically Speaking. The dirt bike version uses a 23hp electric motor, coupled to a 2kW lithium battery pack which makes it good for 2 hours or 40 miles. Yes, this compares to a 250 to 350cc motorcycles. The wonder of the electric motor!
Technically Speaking. When I saw the dirt version, I wonder if I could buy it for street use. Zero Motorcycles beat me to it with their Zero S tuned for street performance. Essentially, riding on the same frame as its earlier version, it uses a beefier 4kWh Lithium battery pack, good for a 60 mile range that recharges in less than 4 hours. The electric motor is rated a 31hp which makes the bike good for 60mph. The best part about these motorcycles is how sturdy they are, even after crashing them.
Enertia Bike's Brammo. I was able to see the Bramo a few times and looks very promising amongst the new electric bikes out. Although technically not produces yet, it will be a welcome addition.
Technically Speaking. This bike has a low moment of inertia and agressive rake angling that will do a 0 to 30 mph in 3.8 seconds. It charges in over three hours with a range of 45 miles and its 13-kW electric motor is a brushless 72 volts DC one, rated at 18hp. 18hp ony? Remember with an electric motor, the important part is the torque, rated at 37 lb-ft of torque.
In conclusion, if most of the talk around EVs are on cars, electric motorcycles are bringing in a lot of performance at an affordable price. Motorcycle drivers are the most fanatic about pure performance and the electric motor should just win them over. What I like most about this new crop of electric motorcycles is that designers are free to break the mold and truly innovate with shapes and technology. Oh, and the maintenance? Well, by now you should know there is little to no maintenance on EVs.
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