The Electric Superbike – The End of the Beginning
The electric motorcycle is dead! Some say it was destined to fail, being nothing more than an illusion that scammed investors out of millions. Electric motorcycle advocates pin hopes on promised models from mainstream brands. For most industry insiders it’s increasingly obvious as the years progress and electric motorcycle startups fail : amateur hour is over.
Like all revolutions it began optimistically. Back in 2009 the media and industry alike were gripped by electric vehicle fever. The inaugural all-electric TTX GP race at the Isle of Man set the motorcycle industry buzzing, while breakthroughs such as the Tesla electric car plus the millions of low-speed electric scooters being sold in Asia spurred venture capital to pour billions into electric vehicle technology. Studies were published saying that hundreds of millions of electric vehicles would be on the road within five years.
That was the time that Brammo and Mission Motors first appeared. Along with dozens of tiny startups, these two American companies presented all-electric motorcycles that promised to start the plug-in motorcycle revolution. Unlike the typical home-built conversions of most starups, Brammo and Mission launched Silicon Valley style, professionally executed media events with beautiful websites and good-looking, full function prototypes.
Brammo took the mass market approach with the Enertia, a handsome commuter bike sold through electronics retailer Best Buy. On the premium end, Mission unveiled what the company called the world’s first electric superbike – capable of 150 mph (240 km/h) and a range per charge of 150 miles (240km). Both were labelled “the Tesla of two wheels”.
Fast forward to today, and the media are writing obituaries for Mission Motorcycles, which filed for bankruptcy, while also posting cover features of the “new” Victory Empulse R, a rebadged Brammo Empulse. Brammo, absorbed into the Polaris Industries empire last year, joins Mission as just another corpse in the heap of motorcycle brands that died attempting to kickstart the electric revolution.
The Silicon Valley problem
The high-profile failures of Brammo and Mission, two well-funded companies led by professional business people with serious credentials, were only the latest in a long string of electric motorcycle casualties. Other brands like Roehr, Vectrix, New Vectrix, Quantya, Voxan, Muench, Mavizen and dozens of others quietly vanished when sales didn’t materialize, or in most cases they weren’t able to actually produce what they promised.
A few startups from that early fertile period, Lightning Motors, Energica, and ALTA Motors (née BRD Redshift) live on, the first two actually delivering road legal motorcycles to customers as promised, if a little late; the latter gaining new rounds of funding and promising deliveries of series production models this year.
All of which leaves one company standing tall.
Zero Motorcycles from Scotts Valley, California. It not only survived through the hell of the great recession, passing the road legal certification process, recalls, outgrowing its founder, and overcoming the challenge of building a working factory, it came out the other end a stronger, scaled up and fully fledged motorcycle manufacturer. Zero, and Zero alone can claim to be an electric motorcycle company, one that is readily available via a solid dealer network, with after-sales care, and one presenting a bright future of robust growth.
Like everyone, Zero Motorcycles suffered with the same fundamental limitations of battery technology and cost, but unlike key rival Brammo and Mission, Zero has a laser FOCUS. Instead of wasting resources on extravagances like international racing and lavish trade show presentations (actions for which Brammo and Mission were both guilty), Zero operated frugally, accepted often harsh criticisms to steadily improve its products while reducing costs.
In other words, they did business.
It seems obvious that being a motorcycle company is about manufacturing motorcycles, but startup culture in 21 st century America has been built around internet business, where physical products aren’t the core FOCUS. The Silicon Valley template is to go from prototype to high volume delivery as fast as possible, to secure later venture funding. This, in the vernacular of venture capital, is called scaling, the end goal of which is either the sale of the fledgling company to a larger one, or to float stock on the market in an IPO (independent public offering).
It’s a formula that’s made tens of billions in the dot-com and app universe, but unfortunately translates very poorly into businesses that actually make things. Physical devices in the tech world, if required, are outsourced to contract manufacturers because they form only a tiny part of the consumer experience. But with motor vehicles, the physical product is the experience.
Both Brammo and Mission were founded and led by captains of the west coast tech industry who believed that the road to success in electric motorcycling followed this pattern. Build and present flashy prototypes, and use the pre-orders to secure funding for developing the production bikes.
It could have worked, and in fact that is precisely what Tesla did to great effect. The key difference between Tesla and the tech world was that Tesla spent all its capital building its own factory and focusing on delivering one expertly finished product into customer hands, even if it meant sacrificing short-term growth.
Lack of FOCUS
Just after Brammo’s first bike, the Enertia, began to ship to customers in 2009, the company changed direction. An ambitious line up of new models, headlined by the Empulse sport bike, but also including the Engage and Excite motocross models and an upgraded Enertia Plus, were announced with imminent delivery dates. Up to that point Brammo has promoted itself as practical and stylish mass market bike for everyone. The image makeover recast the company as an aggressive enthusiast brand.
As is typical in manufacturing, production and distribution issues popped up. Selling through Best Buy didn’t work, so dealers were hastily signed up. Brammo moved production of the Enertia to Hungary, delaying deliveries while it concentrated on the Empulse, a complex and expensive design with a proprietary gearbox and three times the battery and performance of the Enertia. Marketing of the production Enertia dropped off to almost nothing, while Empulse development bogged down.
Over at Mission Motors they soon realized that their target audience didn’t like the boxy look of the Mission One by celebrity designer Yves Behar, so they went back to the drawing board hiring established motorcycle professionals like renowned engineer James Parker (Yamaha GTS) and designer Tim Prentice (Honda NAS).
The new Mission R was an amazing design with range, beauty, speed and handling unlike anything before. Again, delivery dates were announced, and deposits were being taken on the superbike, albeit at the eye watering price of 68,000.
While this was going on Mission spun off a separate company to market its electric vehicle drive train technology to major car companies. This pivot in business strategy made sense based on the explosive forecasts in electric vehicles predicted in 2009. However the demand never showed up, and what little did saw car companies going to established suppliers in the traditional automotive supply chain.
By 2012, both Brammo and Mission were burning through cash while taking in little revenue. Enertia sales remained weak while Mission had not delivered a single customer motorcycle despite the stellar performance of their racing team and high-profile media exposure on Jay Leno’s Garage. The board decided to sell off the motorcycle unit, which was re-established in 2013 as Mission Motorcycles, to concentrate on the powertrain business.
Finally in 2013, three years after it was announced and two years after expected delivery, the Brammo Empulse was ready. Tests were positive and, together with a continuing string of racing successes, the brand looked strong.
Unfortunately for Brammo, 2013 was also a breakthrough year for Zero, whose lineup and capability had grown dramatically. At the time of the Empulse launch, the rival Zero S packed in 30% more range, a more powerful motor and cost less. The Brammo was considered the better bike, with Brembo brakes and Marchesini wheels, but it was too expensive and invisible thanks to a thin distribution network.
By late 2014 signs appeared suggesting that the business was failing. There was a debt refinancing deal just seven months after a 9.5 million funding round, and the company appeared on a website normally reserved for struggling startups. By this point Brammo had raised over 60 million from serious venture firms and blue chip industrial companies like Polaris Industries, but as one image from the funding website revealed, Brammo was still selling ideas instead of motorcycles. Yet another model, a cruiser, was promised in the near future.
Mission’s power train company, now called Mission Electric, was getting some work done for Mugen and reportedly Harley-Davidson, but the newly independent Mission Motorcycles was fading fast. The co-founders were locked in a bitter and public series of law suits and counter-suits over equity, while the CEO continued to make outrageous claims from the company’s trendy offices about a production lineup with delivery and specifications that bordered on science fiction.
This Is The Fastest Zero-Emission Motorcycle
The Mission R gives gas guzzlers a run for their money.
By Wes Siler | Published Oct 1, 2013 6:08 PM EDT
Two years ago, engineers at Mission Motors, a California electric-vehicle manufacturer, set their prototype loose at the 2.238-mile Laguna Seca Raceway. The bike clocked a lap time of 1:31.3, nearly 13 seconds faster than any other electric bike and almost as fast as a 600cc gas guzzler. In 2014, the company will release the street-legal version of that bike, the Mission R. Despite its massive battery and thanks to a custom chassis and motor, the bike is both compact and powerful enough to chase down its conventionally powered competition.
Compact Package
Engineers kept the 550-pound bike about the same size as a gas-powered one. The motor doubles as the rear swingarm mount, which holds the axle and suspension, and the battery anchors the front of the steel-and-aluminum frame.
The AC induction motor produces 160 HP. Because it doesn’t need to rev up like a typical engine, it can deliver maximum torque (133.4 foot-pounds) off the line. The bike tops out at 150 mph and can hit 60 mph in three seconds.
Tighter Turns
At 30.5 inches wide, the Mission R is so narrow that it can lean up to 55 degrees in turns—5 to 10 degrees beyond the lean of most street bikes. A steeper angle means the motorcycle can corner at higher speeds.
The Mission R comes with three battery options—depending on price and desired range. The small 12kWh model will run for up to 105 miles; the mid-range 15kWh will run for 120; and the large 17kWh for 140.
ThrottleX Blog
How many miles can the new Harley-Davidson Livewire electric motorcycle go?
Now that the Motor Company has unveiled its new battery powered motorcycle, a lot more people are talking about the future of electric bikes. But is an electric motorcycle practical? Here’s a look at the various electric motorcycles on the market now…
Harley-Davidson Livewire
While still in development stage, Harley claims it’s electric motorcycle has a range of 53 miles on a full charge from its lithium-ion battery. It charges in 3.5 hours from a 220 volt outlet. The LiveWire is said to deliver 74 horsepower and 52 foot-pounds of torque with a top speed of 92 mph. It actually has more horsepower and torque than the company’s own Iron 883.
It’ll do zero to 60 MPH in under 4 seconds.
14 Brammo Empulse R
Brammo claims a combined range of 80 miles city and highway. It actually gets a longer range of 128 miles in the city due to increased braking generating more power. Likewise, full highway riding nets only 58 miles. The Empulse R cranks out 54 horsepower and 66 pounds of torque. It has a claimed top speed of 110 MPH. The Empulse R will charge to 100% in about 3.5 hours.
The flagship bike of Zero Motorcycles, it has a claimed range of 105 miles, combined. All city riding increases to 137 miles due to regenerative braking, while all highway riding decreases to 85. The Zero S ZF 11.4 cranks out 54 horsepower with 68 foot pounds of torque, and a top speed of 95 MPH. It charges fully in about 7.9 hours.
14 Lightning Superbike
Boasting as the world’s fastest electric motorcycle, the Lightning offers three battery options of 12kwh (100-120 miles), 15kwh (120-150 miles), and 20kwh (160-180 miles). The Lightning cranks out 200 horsepower at 168 foot pounds of torque, with a top speed of 218 MPH. It charges fully in 30 minutes on a quick charger, or 2 hours on a level 2 charger.
Based on its Mission RS technology that claims to outperform gasoline powered superbikes, the Mission R offers three batter options of 12kwh (105 miles), 15kwh (120 miles), and 17kwh (140 miles). The Mission R cranks out 163.2 horsepower at 133.4 foot pounds of torque, with a top speed of 140 MPH. It will fully charge in 1 hour at 220V, or 10 hours at 110V.
Out of the blue
If you’ve been out of the loop for a while, let me get you up to speed on what everyone’s so excited about. A few weeks ago, pictures emerged of Scarlett Johansson riding a rather unique motorcycle on the set of an upcoming Avengers film. Or, well, Scarlett Johansson’s somewhat boy-faced stunt double. (Take a good look at this picture and you’ll see that the rider’s “hair” is actually a very cleverly disguised helmet) What’s important, though, is the bike. Carrying the Harley-Davidson badge, observers noticed that the bike was just a little too polished to be a standard movie-set machine.
Those road-compliant yellow reflectors, for instance. The mirrors. The overall finish. The fact that the bike’s name –– LiveWire –– was emblazoned on the motor housing. All these clues pointed to an actual bike that someone actually intended to produce for the mass market.
That’s not so strange. Harley’s pulled this sort of thing before, cleverly working its Street 750 into Captain America: Winter Soldier before ever announcing that the bike existed. But what was different here was that the bike being ridden by Johansson’s stunt double was so very much not like a Harley-Davidson. It looked a little more like a Ducati Diavel with its styling. It had a sit-up-and-beg seating position. And –– least H-D-like of all –– it was an electric motorcycle.
An electric motorcycle. From Harley-Davidson.
Cats and dogs living together, people. And before we could recover from having our minds blown at the very thought of such a thing, Harley-Davidson announced that the rumours were true. They have indeed embarked on an electric motorcycle project.
That’s what they’re calling it right now: a project. They go out of their way to point out that the bikes are not for sale. Yet. But they have produced several dozen of them and will be touring H-D dealerships in the US and Europe over the next year or so, offering test rides and “gauging customer feedback.”
That’s probably marketing speak for “generating consumer demand”. In his article, Gardiner says the LiveWire is just too polished, too ready to simply be a project. He says most moto-journalists expect an announcement on the LiveWire going into production will come within 18 months. You know, about the time that upcoming Avengers film will be released…
A new era
So, take a moment to let all this sink in. All of it. Ignore the internet hater machine and just think about the countless implications of the LiveWire. This is so very big, it’s hard to know where to begin.
Obviously, we’ve had electric motorcycles for a while. Not too long ago, I wrote a post in which I stated my belief that electric motorcycles would be a part of the mainstream within 10-20 years. So, Harley-Davidson’s not doing anything new there. Indeed, with the LiveWire’s current claimed range of 55 miles on a charge (a) it is a little behind the curve of Zero, Brammo and the like.
The seismic shift, however, comes in the fact that it is an electric motorcycle from Harley-Davidson –– a major, worldwide OEM. Existing e-bike companies can’t touch the dealer network, publicity strength or clout of such a major player. There’s a possibility that Yamaha could release its PES-1 before the LiveWire, thus earning it the distinction of being the very first major OEM to offer an electric motorcycle, but I would argue that the release of the LiveWire will have greater impact.
Harley-Davidson understands better than any other OEM the importance of intangibles like emotion, experience and impression. Performance and cost always play a part in our motorcycle-buying decisions, but Harley-Davidson gets that how the bike makes us feel is just as important, if not more so. And Harley-Davidson equally has the power, and the marketing muscle and know-how, to shape these intangibles. Yamaha (or Honda or BMW –– who knows what they’re up to) may manage to get an electric motorcycle to the public sooner, but Harley-Davidson will be more successful at making the public want to buy one.
Additionally, it can use its clout and financial muscle to push for better charging network infrastructure, develop more efficient batteries and win government subsidies to encourage people to buy electric. All this would be accelerated as soon as Harley-Davidson saw even a modicum of success with the LiveWire because other OEMs would very quickly jump in the pool. To that end, I want to amend my claim that electric motorcycles will be mainstream within 10-20 years.
I am now happy to go on record saying that electric motorcycles will be a part of the motorcycling mainstream (b) within 5 years of the LiveWire going on sale. Seriously, y’all. Bookmark this blog post. It will happen.
Take my money, Harley-Davidson
While I’m making bold declarations, how about this one: I am so confident in the game-changing nature of Project LiveWire that I will state here and now that I plan to buy one. I want to be one of the first. Many decades from now, I want to be able to look back and say that I saw the seismic shift for what it was and that I was there on the ground floor when it began. So, when the day comes that the LiveWire goes into production, I will head straight to my nearest Harley-Davidson dealer and put down a deposit. I promise.
Of course, one of the reasons I’m willing to make that promise is the fact that, in the LiveWire, Harley-Davidson has managed to create an electric motorcycle that I’d actually want to buy. Thus far electric motorcycles have only been offered in the guise of ungodly expensive sport bikes or rickety things that look like glorified bicycles. The LiveWire, though, looks cool. Someone with a genuine sense of style and design has put some effort into this thing.
A lot of effort, actually. The bike is covered with nifty touches, such as the industrial-looking motor casing, or the oddly cool front turn signals. This, as I say, is an electric motorcycle that manages to speak to the intangibles. And in so doing it makes me willing to take on the unique challenges of an electric bike as related to range, staying forever aware of just how far I am from a charging station.
I like, too, that the bike has a more “normal” seating position. If you’re a regular reader of this blog you’ll know that I am forever waging an internal battle over what looks cool and what’s actually enjoyable to ride. I liked the look of the Triumph America, for example, but couldn’t stand to be on the thing for more than 5 minutes. Whereas I loved the comfort of the Triumph Tiger Explorer XC but hated its aesthetics. The LiveWire manages to mix those two worlds.
With it being a Harley-Davidson, of course, the bike will almost certainly be customisable in some fashion, with roughly a million different accessories ranging from fake fuel caps to peg relocation kits. I’m fond of the bike more or less as it is but I like the idea of being able to create a more unique look –– something that isn’t really possible with, say, a Zero.
OK, yes, I’ll admit that to a certain extent I’m drinking the Harley-Davidson Kool-Aid where this bike is concerned, but I think that’s part of the reason I’m so excited by it. It is exciting to think of an electric motorcycle actually being cool rather than simply a morally admirable purchase.
And speaking of which, the bike sounds pretty cool, as well. At high speed it’s got that devilish TIE fighter whine. At lower speed, you are free to just listen to the world around you and better connect with it. No, the old men of the American Midwest won’t be able to sit and rev it at stop lights, but those of us who don’t have a tiny penis will get by just fine sans loud pipes.
The LiveWire is a harbinger of the not-too-distant future. The rumbling joy of a combustion engine will never completely die, but I genuinely believe we will one day mark this as the moment when the combustion engine’s monopoly on motorcycling began to fade. I can’t wait to see the LiveWire in the metal. I can’t wait for the opportunity to hand my hard-earned money to Harley-Davidson in exchange for one.
Because this motorcycle is a very good thing.
(a) Most journalists feel this is the only real “project” part of the bike and that a production LiveWire would have a larger (and heavier) battery, giving it greater range. Additionally, there is suspicion that Harley-Davidson has worked/ is working pretty closely with Mission, who claim a range of 140 “real-world” miles for their Mission R electric motorcycle. (b) I predict they will be at least as popular as sport-tourer bikes are now.