Curtiss continues to crank out renderings for electric motorcycles; its latest release is intended to compete with Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire for sales.
Up to now, the battery bikes Curtiss has proposed have all had very high price tags, $60,000 US or higher, similar to the expensive V-twins the company sold under its previous name, Confederate. The suggested price for the proposed new model (bearing the name “Psyche”) is much lower, in the $30,000 US range.
That’s roughly the price tag for the new Harley-Davidson LiveWire, as well as other electric superbikes coming on the market from Zero and Lightning. It’s still a lot of money, but not outside the ballpark of the competition.
So what do you get for your $30k? There’s a very futuristic visual design, which doesn’t follow the pattern most electric motorcycles are following (“Let’s make it look as much like a gasoline-powered motorcycle as possible!”). Although technical details are speculative at this point, Curtiss is suggesting there will be versions available with 48 hp and 96 hp output, and weight will be 170 kg. Battery range is expected to be 260 km, although extended highway riding will likely cut that down.
What are the chances of this actually making it to market? Hard to say, as Curtiss is in the middle of a crowdfunding campaign, with plans to go on the NASDAQ after that. The company is making big plans and even talking trash against the competition, but what happens if Curtiss doesn’t raise the money it needs?
GALLERY
Check out all the pics that go with this story!
The image caught my eye, not the headline. From a first snapshot glance, I thought I was seeing a scale model fantasy of a motorcycle, produced from a 3D printer; not something really intended for the road, with a rider.
LEGO