Enertia Electric Motorcycle To Hit Stores In Early 2008

It's about time we started seeing this sort of thing, but why did they have to make it so ugly? Take that god-awful cover off it and it looks pretty good as a bare-bones.
These guys need a few lessons in motorcycle aesthetics.

Looks nice ... but for that price range, I would take a G-Wiz - may not be huge but would give you some extra carriage capacity.

$15K??? $11K??? 45 miles???

You've got to be kidding me.

mighty nice but cut that price in half so people can actually buy them....

Sounds like some good technologies at work here.

My goodness the... PRICE!!! If they get the price down by about 2/3rd's they might get some interest. Otherwise I'd rather walk.

I'm sure it's worth it but it IS expensive.
I'll wait for a vehicle that is based on mountain bike components, weighs around 75 pounds, and cost around $3000.

Sweet. If its as good as it sounds, I'm sold. I'm glad they actually put some effort into making it look good too. Usually a an electric bike/scooter/motorcycle makes you look like squad leader of the nerd patrol.

Looks like a good job on this machine but at 11k plus only Mr. Cloony will buy one.

Nice looking, but the Tesla has spoiled me, because I'm thinking this thing needs a longer range.

I love this bike but if they could manage to squeeze out a little bit more in range and top end speed...these things would sell like hotcakes.

Looks: Spot on
Range: 2/3s the way there
Speed: Needs another 15-20mph for when you have to get on the highway.

Course that might be asking a whole bunch. I don't know.

As much as I want an electric motorcycle, battery technology will always be the limiting factor to an electric vehicle - but we are certainly getting close!

For about $1500 I can get a Honda scooter with a 50cc four stroke engine that tops out at 40mph and gets 100mpg.

For $3000 I could get a Kawasaki Ninja 250cc that tops out at over 100mph and gets 60-70mpg when driven sanely.

Makes for a pretty tough sell at this price point!

I looked into converting a Ninja 250cc to electric power, and if you want highway speed, range would be severely limited, and if you want long range speed is severely limited. The laws of physics must be obeyed :(

That said, major kudos for the original ground up frame design, and the styling looks a bit retro modern and very clean.

I have found out recently that work offers FREE plugs for electric vehicles, and a coworker has a converted car! Maybe I need to join him on the parking!

this bike look beautiful.

the price may be high but its a relatively new technology. the prices will drop.

if i had the means i would love to have this.

right now we have a converted electric car from 1987 we bought for 2K and the range is less than 40 miles and we can still get around LA pretty easily.

it made me realize that we really dont need a vehicle that has a 300mile range for most of our trips it is perfect.

i think people should reconsider how far you really need to go daily. its not very far for most of us.

I live down the street from MC Electric Vehicles in Seattle, and can already get some very low-range scooters (I can't get to work and back on a charge, and I have a 15 mile commute). Those scooters, though, are $2000. This vehicle is likely about double the price point at which it'll sell in volume.

Should really start putting prices at the top of the article to see if I should even bother reading it. The price is insane.

$15K? Are they high?

Put this is the "Twike" category of ridiculously overpriced tripe.

I just bought an electric scooter this weekend. Speed isn't quite up to this one, (it tops out at around 25 to 30 MPH), but it looks a lot less fugly, has a range of 60+ miles, and only cost me $300. Only problem is I bought it in China. Why aren't people importing these and selling them for $600 or so? Seems like you could make a killing.

BTW, this is what it looks like, (although mine is all black):
http://pd.7ye.net/11/2822/722433/87799-0l.jpg

Wait why are people balking at this price, yet drool over the tesla? 15k is a lot for the range, but as everyone says 45 miles is more than enough for a days worth of driving. A typical Harley goes for 15k.

Wait why are people balking at this price, yet drool over the tesla?

I think both vehicles are silly and overpriced. Try again.

Does anyone knows the Tesla Roadster???

WOW
Love the design, but for that price the mileage range and speed should be better.

There are a lot of very affordable Electric vehicle already on the market. We have quite a few of them on our website, www.yourgreenamerica.com, and others carry them too. What they need to work on are affordable 2 seater cars.

Here is one you can build that costs a lot less and goes faster!http://www.rqriley.com/chopper-et.htm

THIS IS NOT ECO FRIENDLY

Just because no emissions are generated in your immediate vicinity does not mean you're "saving the environment." Where do you think the electricity to recharge the bike comes from? It comes from someone a few miles down the road burning coal or oil and releasing the byproducts into the atmosphere and killing all the birds and bunnies and flowers and shit. Think people, think! This isn't even "tree hugging" this is just eco-masturbation.

AWESOME IDEA! WAY PAST ITS TIME!
Everyone should own one of these, make the electric dune buggy/golf cart and thats all i will buy 4 EVA!! I want one when they come out!!!!!!111

Yup, that electricity that comes out of the wall outlet to charge this bike comes from nowhere! It's free energy!

Morons ...

This bike might be high priced, look ugly and not have a long range, but it is the future.

We are all limited by our own past. Look beyond it. I encourage everyone to completely redesign new technology. Why would an electric bike like this look a gas powered one? All the parts that a gas powered bike uses limits the design ie: the tank needs to be on top of the engine, the engine needs a gear box that can only be at one spot, etc.

Lets through it all off and completely rethink this technology and design something that looks awesome and is not just a copy of old lame internal combustion engine technology.

Everything is rethinkable!

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/06/lightning_lithi.php

Um...11k for a 1 person vechile that cant make highway speeds. The only people on these things will be yuppie performers at live aid telling us how bad we are for not owning one.

Pretty cool. But it needs better range (250 to 400 miles), and higher speeds (65 to 80 mph should be sufficient top speed for most). Otherwise, it's not really anything more than a glorified moped without pedals.

I have been waiting for years for a hybrid motorcycle. but fully electric powered by a standard outlet. If they get the design from OC Choppers or J. James - maybe I'll pull the 11k out of my wallet. Otherwise - I'll keep saving for the air scooter

http://www.airscooter.com/pages/airscooter_media_files.htm

(congress hasn't cracked down on the legallity of flying "over" stop lights/intersections).

TESLA - the roadster is fast as a ferarri and has reasonable distance. This thing is slow and heavy and expensive. This shows there is a future in electric transport.
Part of the problem with converting the world to electric is the oil companies which own patents on good battery technologies.

ECO-MASTURBATION - This is a load of shit, the power plants are very efficient and where i live anyway most of the power comes from geothermal, wind and hydrodams, no gas there.

The motorbike is too slow and has short distance, even if it were cheap nobody would buy it to replace a motorbike, its really just a big scooter.

To go with this bike, what about a solar panel recharging station?? I could build one for under a grand. When the price on the bike drops, it should be an option!

Cutting edge technology usually comes with a high price tag, the technology here will not become widespread it will die a slow quiet death as the cost will deter its potential buyers. This means sales will not be enough to guarantee its future, no methods to enable production costs to be reduced will occur and it will be consigned to the dustbin as technology too far advanced for its day.
Do what austin-morris did with the mini sell at a slight loss and guarantee further sales, tell shareholders that they are in it for the long haul and not a quickly made profits schedule

Don't know about you guys in the US, but in the UK I wouldn't be seen dead on something like this... I could buy a new Yamaha R6 for the same money... no competition. You'll never tempt people onto bikes like this unless they're priced accordingly i.e. commuter bike money $6000.

is anyone else concerned that it's practically silent when running? seems like a saftey issue to me. it's best to be seen and HEARD for max. saftey on a bike. also, looks like they went halfway on the design. bulk it up a tad more and make it look like a full out motorcycle.

Ebike same range better price

I agree with just about everybody here it's overpriced,underpowered,and has a lame mileage factor.When is it going to be the time that these eco-companies and all realize that we (the consumers)want sexy and powerful.Tesla Motorsports has moved in that direction a little but,I'm sure most people in here dont own a Tesla motor car.Interesting so far I havent seen one eco-car company take up Debbie Harry's Philosophy that "sex sells".

Regarding people's rebuttal about emissions coming from a coal smoke stack. A 100% coal fired plant is a LOT more efficient at providing energy than a small gas engine. It's not true emission free, but a HUGE improvement. Suggest you do your research before you sound like an ass. Also a lot of people here are looking into or already have solar panels, that is all the more better if you do.

Looks hip and cool, but 12K price tag....wow.

I suspect the price is more about to do with the cost of the hi-tech batteries. My guess, as the price of EV-grade batteries comes down, so will the price of this bike. Or the top speed and/or range will increase beyond gains seen by swapping out sprockets. Maybe with swapping out the sprockets one can see 60-65 mph with loss of low end torque.

The motor cost about $1,000 at the most. Thats for a electrical motor similar to the ones used in the Comedy Central R/C "killer bot" destruction contests. 9-15 hp. Thats the "pancake" type and including regen breaking. Few grand on the battery pack, if they are truly leading edge of technology. couple grand on the controller, inverter, electrical throttle etc.

There are alot of homegrown ev rat-bikes companies out there, whose prices are around 6-8 grand. Some are ground up builds like this one, others building off of a rolling frame. One guy (ev bike company) is willing to weld on two side cases and a top case behind the riders and have em prewired (pos. and neg. terminal) to a popular ev-dirt bike. The rider can swap all the batteries for battery power vs. luggage space vs. weight vs. battery technology to suit his riding needs. Also has swappaple front and rear sprockets

Awsome!!

Lithium Phosphate batteries are cutting edge, like they're going to be able to offer them out at the same price as an internal combustion engine!? Idiots! Keep dispalying your ignorance publicly, it's quite entertaining!!

This is the best cut I've seen at a useful e-motorcycle so far, great work!

I ride a virago 250 yamaha. It gets about 80 mpg. I was hopping the electic motorcycles that were coming out would get a bit more range myself.

I am thrilled that this sort of thing could get off the ground. I have the same reservations that several others have noted, (range, top speed, price)

I wonder, is there any worry about freezing temperatures? I live in Canada and dealing with cold is a big deal for any battery technology. Not that I'd ride a bike when I might encounter ice.

I think it is a beautiful design. Clean simple lines and a minimum of bling bling. Reminds me of the street Triumphs of the 50's and 60's. Well done Brammo Motorsports of Oregon.

However, I have to say that the top speed and range are inadequate for the price. If you get it up to 70 MPH tops and a range of 50 to 60 miles and then sell it for $8,000.00, I would buy one. Other wise it is just too insipid and expensive for my wee budget.

Its almost what I need.

DAN 1

Overpriced, underpowered, but definitely a step in the right direction. Someday we will run out of oil, and maybe by that time there will be an electric bike that will do extended freeway travel at a 300 mile range at a price competitive with a 250cc gas bike. Maybe they should team up with Tesla (for the engine and batteries) and Yamaha or Honda and figure out how to mass produce it cheap.

Numerous issues. Can't make everybody happy, all the time, in present time.
Looks-Good to me! Retro Gas in transition. But a bit like a pit bull with a skinny hind end. Add some luggage/battery capability to the back and flush out the aesthetics.
Range/Speed-Low on this starter model. Buy more and it'll rise! And price will come down.
Efficiency-Check their website for some good charts. For those enviromeddlers check your thoughts before you spout. Efficiency gains can be especially significant if you pick up cheap offpeak energy that utilities have little use for but need to continue to generate for baseload vagaries. Google "pluginamerica" for good info.
I say we get a small (well off) group to pose an initiative to this group to contract for 3-5 times their initial introduction edition. This group contracts for better performance, lower price, even better quality. Body models could even be an option with enough volume. Yes! I know this is what investers are for but this "investment group" would be from the consumer side. This could result in best case scenario from all points of view. BUT, needs highly intelligent, somewhat egoless, skilled people. Any candidates out their.
What a joy it would be to buy an excellent, American made product. China, China, China... disemploying americans everywhere..... until their products need fixed.
If you find fault with any of the above don't SLAM it too hard before responding to the thoughts with your hopeful side. Too many REACTIVE folks out there just wanting to hit something. Present your design mods. They might come true!

I don't think it's so bad.
For the first complaint, the distance.. Realistically your commute is to work with this vehicle, as you can fully charge it before you go home. Heck, even if you were going out of town for lunch and some shopping you could have it charged before you leave. Everybody is thinking in the old "gas station" paridigm, like we're talking about a visit somewhere in particular for a fillup. You can get power just about everywhere you are!
As for the price, you might get a cheaper motorcycle by half, but how soon will it be before you spend that again on gas? Maybe they could sell it cheaper, but they are the first.. I wouldn't advise them to.
"I get 80 mpg on my ___" Yeah, but your emissions are about as bad as an SUV for most sport bikes out there. Comparisons of that nature don't make any sence because someone who could overlook that factor is already not the market for this vehicle.
The biggest change I would like to see is in it's speed. These days you don't need to go very far at all to need the freeway...

If this isn't the ugliest bike I've ever seen it's in the top five, overpriced, no cost/benefit rationale, pitiful range and speed, gas powered bikes are still way more efficient (not counting true sportbikes) a 250cc bike can get as much as 100 mpg, it does "NOT" create anywhere near the emissions of an SUV as some suggest (250cc is a lot smaller than say 7 liters of SUV-8, it's a simple matter of volume mass 1/28th) a 250cc bike usually has a 300 mile or so range, so this electric simply can't realisticly compete n