Sunday 22 August 2010

Brammo - A Viable Electric Bike?

Electric bikes have a few major shortcomings in comparison to their internal combustion brethren, perhaps the biggest one is range. Brammo has taken a pretty big bite out of this problem with their new model dubbed the Empulse. The bike was unveiled in their tent at Laguna Seca on July 24th, during the Red Bull Grand Prix weekend. The Empulse is available in three capacities, the highest (and of course most expensive) providing a claimed 100 mile range, which is in the ballpark of what a typical commuter bike will do. Weight is perfectly acceptable too, especially given that you don't have to add 40+lbs of fuel to the quoted weight of 420lbs. Power is acceptable (compared to commuter bikes) at a claimed 54hp, with good torque at 59ftlb. Top speed is listed at 100mph+, which is plenty for anything you _should_ be doing on the street. Thankfully you don't have to go flying by people in a blur to hide bad aesthetics, as this unit is actually a pretty good looking bike (even without the umbrella girls draped all over it).

You can get yours starting at $10G, though the full spec model with 100mile range will add an extra $4G whacking you with a bit of sticker shock at $14,000 for the top kit version. Brammo claims their may be significant Government incentives that might apply, bringing that price way down, but we'd recommend triple checking that before placing your order for one.


Read more about this bike @ http://www.evhub.in/news/235#235

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