Issue #273 Electrics Need an "Egg" Beater
We keep hearing that electric bikes are the “future.” Not until they get a little style going, says Molony.
You may remember the film Logan’s Run, a 1970’s sci-fi with a “don’t trust anyone over 30” slant. Folks over 30 were obliged to sacrifice themselves to preserve the resources of a sealed community surrounded by a post-apocalyptic world. To conserve those few resources people moved around in vehicles that were nondescript eggs—a set designer’s vision of what transportation might look like in the future. Staid but aerodynamic and efficient, and accompanied by a near silent electric hum. Judging from the Prius I guess they had it right.
Motorcycles are partially saved from this retro-neo design because there is only so far you can go with a machine when you have to seat an unaerodynamic human on top of it. Still, the electric hum is coming. Batteries are getting better. Charging is becoming quicker. And the cost is coming down. But are electric motorcycles really intended for motorcyclists?
Of the several electric bike producers in the market today, the one with the busiest PR team seems to be Zero Motorcycles. A couple times a week I will get a press release saying that some executive has arrived, departed or taken a sabbatical to create the world’s first human powered helicopter. Nevertheless, and despite the turnover, Zero has created a reasonable product range: motocross, dualsport, and street bikes. These seem to cover the spectrum of current needs as an electric touring bike is out of the question for the foreseeable future.
The problem is none of these electric motorcycles pass the first impression test. We are enthusiasts. The bike needs to look good and then it can wow us with the technical details.
While I might be curious about their respective powerplants and drivetrains, the stylings of the electric offerings have not yet inspired me. Why do the electric offerings all look like a cross between a motorcycle, bicycle, and Eliminator powerpack from Canadian Tire? There are many examples of current gas models that look like conventional motorcycles only because their designers have added false gas tanks to lend the appearance and “components” we are all familiar with. Perhaps this is what is giving me pause with the electric bikes: no tank, no exhaust, no big engine. Give me the future of design, just don’t shape it like an egg. There are a few electric bikes that look great, the Lito Sora (See Tech & Tools, page 50) and the MotoCzysz, but their pricetags make them “exotics” to nearly all riders.
I received an email the other day about a company called Brammo, based in Ashland, Oregon. Sure, it’s an out-of-the-way place to be building electric bikes, but this is what the internet will do. I scrolled through their offerings, which look a lot like Zero’s. I had a chuckle at one of the model names, Enertia. I might have to overcome some inertia before jumping in the saddle.
But then I came across Empulse and, well, the bike actually looks good, and is being marketed as a 100 mph/100 mpg product. It looks a little like a Ducati Monster, but that’s a pretty good place to start.
With our crown corp BC Hydro proposing to spend $8 billion on a new dam in northeast BC, I think I better try one of these things while I can still afford the electricity!
