Brammo Empulse
Brammo, a manufacturer of electric
motorcycles, has struck a deal with a Singapore company to build
bikes and components.
Brammo, which is located in Ashland,
Oregon. said the deal with Flextronics of Singapore will allow it to
quickly increase production.
Flextronics is a large company with
operations on four continents and in 30 countries. Its clients
include Microsoft and Johnson & Johnson.
It helps clients design and make
electronic products.
Flextronics will make most of the
electronic parts for Brammo motorcycles and will assemble the bikes.
Because the Singapore company is located around the world, it will be
able to build the Brammo motorcycles near their eventual points of
sale, Brammo said.
Well , as a guy who loves the whine of an internal combustion engine revving to redline , I can also say that I was a real slot-car freak as a kid . I loved how fast a good slot-car could accelerate and how equally fast it could decellerate (kill me if I spelled that wrong !!) Anyways , talk about compression braking !! ) I say give the technology a chance . Really , it is the big f-in petroleum companies (uhhh HELLO..can you say BP !!!) that keep buying up the rights and squashing all the electronic technology … Imagine hearing your heart beating (outside a vehicle!) while doing 100+ mph !
What did they do at the IOM for electric bikes? Quick switch the battery each lap. What will they do at the electric equivalent of gas stations? Quick switch the battery. So nobody will have a fatigued battery. Actually it will be a combo thing – plug in at home, switch out at the station as needed.
And battery research is huge and ongoing right now. More appropriately, power storage since it won’t necessarily be electro-chemical, it might be a new variation on a capacitor. Materials science in both areas is a hot area nowadays.
To his credit or discredit, he was from the only telling me that. All those reviews and websites have told us how lovely the new battery technology is. Meanwhile they all test the gadgets when they are brand new, nobody tests them after few years of real time usage. You solve the problem by retiring the computer, because the Moore law is the way it is and is favorable to upgrading fast. But you cannot apply that to something as expensive as these motorcycles ….
“…Or I must have done something wrong, of course.”
You did. You believed an IT guy. I’ve never known one who wasn’t a socially inept, I-Know-It-All, outcomes mean nothing – look at this new shiney thing I’ve got, wankers.
I am still skeptical of the batteries. Everything else will be sorted out, just the batteries … 🙁 I still remember the IT guy telling me that the new Li-Ion unit in my laptop should last long without any capacity loss. Well after a year it’s gone from something like 3hrs to 30min., so I guess it’s not all rosy and somebody is lying here … Or I must have done something wrong, of course.
don’t get me wrong folks, I’m not against it. I’m just saying more action less talk and bring it on already!
We should be seeing these “proper” e-bikes in the dealerships now.
Like standardized fuels, the industry will need to develop standardized batteries which can be cassette-exchanged before they become more than a commuter phenom. But what’s stopping that? Infrastructure investment. Time will tell, but I’d say they are coming. It will be like your propane cylinder exchange systems work now. The abundance of electric commuter bikes and scooters already in cities suggests there is a decent market.
Hi gang.I imagine many of those who had yet to see a horseless carriage were very sceptical! Rock On
Look at the picture above these comments. Google the name you see under the picture. Have a look at Zero, find some vids. I agree they are kinda out there, but they look like tons of fun, the torque, come on!
Story’s on electric bikes are getting tiring, especially considering I still never see any of these things around.
I can’t relate to these bikes until they become more mainstream I guess, but where are they? It still seems mythical, similar to the talk of fuel cells since the early 2000’s, yet still nothing.
I am sure nobody would object to an electronics manufacturer producing parts for an electric bike. But, I guess it will take some getting used to, accepting that someone who makes iPods will assemble my next bike ….. :eek