Electric Motorcycles

The Russian company Kalashnikov, better known from products like the AK-47, unveiled an electric motorbike at the Army 2017 International Military-Technical Forum in Moscow, Russia. Kalashnikov introduced two versions, one for military purposes and one for the police force. If these bikes are anything like their infamous assault rifle, then they will prove to be virtually indestructible and hugely popular among certain demographics.

It’s admittedly a stretch considering the nature of the different products, but most electric bikes, such as the Zero DS, offer high-tech features like the digital dashboard and smartphone app. Kalashnikov does not get into such tech wizardry. Instead, they opt for good old-fashioned flip switches, indicator lights, and a chronological speedometer. Nothing wrong with that.

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California-based Zero Motorcycles, one of the biggest makers of all-electric motorcycles, unveiled its 2018 bike lineup this week.

As usual, the company is introducing some new features and improvements to its electric powertrain technology, which now allows for faster charging and longer range.
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While not as popular as Zero Motorcycle, Alta Motors is an up-and-coming electric motorcycle manufacturer and it unveiled a new version of its flagship Redshift last week that could broaden their market.

Alta’s Redshift was only offered as an all-electric supermoto/motocross, but the latest version of the motorcycle is a new street tracker: Redshift ST.
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A group of engineers in partnership with a few bike shops in Switzerland set out to show that electric motorcycles could be “badass” and have “outrageous performance”. I’d argue that Zero Motorcycles are already pretty badass, but sure let’s see what they got…

They created a company called ‘Zvexx Motorbike’ and came up with Zvexx, a fierce-looking all-electric torque machine.
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Custom motorcycles have long been an important part of the biker community and it recently got a lot of attention after none other than Keanu Reeves announced that he was starting his own custom bike company: Arch Motorcycle Company.

Now the same concept is coming to electric motorcycles and while it’s not accessible to everyone, it’s still interesting to see more options for EVs on two wheels.
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Airbus has a wholly-owned subsidiary called APWorks, which is set up to develop additive manufacturing techniques – especially metallic 3D printing – for the supply chains of Airbus’ main businesses. From time to time, the company releases independent products developed through their manufacturing work for Airbus.

The latest of such product is particularly interesting to us at Electrek: a 3D printed all-electric motorcycle.
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We recently stumbled upon a small Austrian-based company called Johammer. The firm is building an interesting futuristic-looking electric motorcycle: the Johammer J1. They launched the vehicle last year, but they recently ramp-up production and we are now seeing more of the vehicle reminiscent of a Star Wars pod racer with chopper-like handles.
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The new budget bill approved by the US Congress last week included an important extension to the 30% investment tax credit (ITC) for solar, but it also brought back the less popular (but welcomed) tax credits for electric motorcycles.
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Alta Motors, formerly known as BRD Motorcycles, announced having delivered the first all-electric Redshift to customers this week.

The first lucky owners are Eric Gauthier and Jeannine Smith, who own and operate Suspension Performance in Mountain View, CA.
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This week BMW’s Motorrad division unveiled an all-electric concept version of its RR motorcycle called “eRR”. The company didn’t reveal any specific information about the new concept, which it described as an “experimental vehicle” – meaning it isn’t likely to hit the market anytime soon.

But the group released the following pictures:
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The 2015 Tokyo Motor Show is starting next week and several manufacturers already announced the debut of new electric vehicles, including Nissan’s Teatro and Mitsubishi’s eX, now Yamaha says it will unveil 6 new concepts, including a new two-wheel drive all-electric motorcycle and an electric car.
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San Francisco-based Mission Motorcycles, a maker of high-end electric motorcycles, recently filed for bankruptcy amid financial troubles. In the filing, current CEO Mark Seeger said the company is so low on cash that it can’t afford to pay for an attorney for the bankruptcy process, but while recently talking with Reuters, former CEO Derek Kaufman dismissed the company’s lack of money and instead blamed Mission’s demise on Apple’s poaching of top engineers.
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Zero Motorcycles, a maker of battery-powered motorcycles, is at the American International Motorcycle Expo in Orlando, Florida today to unveil its 2016 lineup and announce 2 new models.

On top of the new models, the company is also presenting a new motor design, a faster charging infrastructure, a new lithium-ion cell chemistry for more capacity and efficiency, and it will lower the price on two base models while adding more features and performance throughout its lineup.
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Earlier this year, Victory Motorcycles bought Brammo’s electric motorcycle business and now Brammo’s Empulse R becomes Victory’s Empulse TT. Other than the badges and a light styling refresh, the bike is roughly unchanged. Going for $20,000 and with an advertised range of 140 miles, the Empulse could represent an interesting higher-end alternative to the very popular Zero electric motorcycles.
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