Brammo Enertia to be sold at Best Buy
by Jeremy Korzeniewski on Mar 2nd 2009 at 9:56AM 
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Brammo Enertia
In amongst the various computers, televisions and small appliances at your local Best Buy store may soon be electric motorcycles. Starting in May, five locations near the West Coast will begin stocking the Brammo Enertia, a $12,000, carbon fiber-intensive two-wheeler that stores its power in large format, lithium-phosphate battery packs from Valence.
We wondered about the possibility of the big box retailer offering the gas-free two-wheelers after Best Buy Capital extended a few million dollars in investment money to Brammo last September. According to Brammo CEO Craig Bramscher, "What we're selling is a lot closer to consumer electronics than to transportation." Features like integrated GPS and WiFi chips allow a bevy of interesting high-tech options for the Enertia, such as on-board cameras that can link up to the internet and automatically sort ride pictures by location. Sounds cool, but we're a bit wary of Geek Squad associates putting their hands on our motorcycles. Thanks for the tip, John A!
[Source: Greentech Media via Electric Motorcycle Forum]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
RicoChet 10:01AM (3/02/2009)
At that price, hell no. $4000 or so and we're talking.
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Tang 10:03AM (3/02/2009)
Two points:
1) there'll probably still be a TV that's more expensive than this bike.
2) will GeekSquad work on this? I'm not sure.
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Stumpy 10:06AM (3/02/2009)
You could get a really nice motorcycle for $12,000. For it to be cost effective, you would need to drive this for a LONG time.
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JD 10:07AM (3/02/2009)
Buy a car for $12k instead.
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Epyx 10:12AM (3/02/2009)
You could say that of any bike, kind of not the point. I do not think the idea is to replace a car but more an alternative to traditional bikes.
Epyx 10:11AM (3/02/2009)
12K - No way. I would say $6-8K tops.
Anyone know any specs? Speed, range, recharge time, etc. Looks pretty cool but just a bit too expensive. I wonder if best buy will offer financing - not revolving credit card type, but real fixed payment financing.
I think the most dangerous aspect is the silent running. Cars wont see you or hear you when you are near them. Cars drivers are bad enough around bikes and now taking away the sound would be a concern. Regardless, it is pretty cool and I would like to have one if the price came down. There are so many cool bikes for 12K or less that I would rather own. What is the value proposition? It takes lots of fuel to make up the cost difference between this and many bikes so I doubt it is a fuel thing.
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Ryan 10:20AM (3/02/2009)
Top Speed: 50 MPH
Range: 35-45 Miles
Recharge Time: 3 Hours
http://www.enertiabike.com/content/view/8/8/
Epyx 10:34AM (3/02/2009)
Thanks Ryan! Disappointing for a $12k toy.
s13hybrid 10:38AM (3/02/2009)
The speed, range, and charge time is pretty good, but there is no way I would spend $12k on this. I agree that I would probably get one for around $6k.
I wonder what this would be registered as. A moped? I have never really looked into it, but don't they classify bikes by their engine size, and under a certain size you do not need a license? So I wonder how they will deal with an all electric bike, especially when it can get up to that speed.
Erik 10:20AM (3/02/2009)
Where will this be serviced?
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TigerMil 10:24AM (3/02/2009)
Service? What service? a little bit of brake maintenance, tire replacement?
Probably any bicycle shop or even motorcycle shop could do virtually anything required since no gas engine. Parts will be an issue when this business model fails....LOL.
TigerMil 10:35AM (3/02/2009)
Fail. $15k for 1Q09 delivery, $12k for 2Q09. 0-30 in 3.8 seconds.
45 miles at 25mph.
Forget about it.
See the website for (minimal) specs.
I wouldn't buy it for $2K. Fair disclosure, last bike I bought was a 73 KAw Z1 in January 1973 for right about $2K!
Soccer Mom 10:44AM (3/02/2009)
Drop the price to $6000 and I will be all over it. I can live without carbon-fiber, you can replace it with aluminum to save cost.
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Dan 10:50AM (3/02/2009)
For that price you can buy five Honda Ruckuses. Swing-and-a-miss!
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Epyx 10:53AM (3/02/2009)
For that price you could buy almost any Honda bike or even a used Civic!
BigWill 11:08AM (3/02/2009)
$12,000 ... or 600,000 Reward Zone points.
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Ligor 11:42AM (3/02/2009)
$12k? No way
thats about sums it up, you can get a gas moped that'll get you 70mpg adn pay a lot less than that.
and it can't be simpler than this, the drivetrain is a battery with an electric motor - it's like all the kids toys with a much better battery
make if $2-3k and i'll consider one
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Derek 11:55AM (3/02/2009)
I think you all might be looking at this the wrong way...
I was working for Best Buy when they got their first plasma TV in stock. The picture was horrible, the screen burned in insanely fast, and the prices was absurd (around 6 grand for a 32 inch, if it was even that big). Maybe it was all the government idiots around here blowing year end budgets, but they sold. I had to fight not to laugh when someone bought one, and I told all of them the service plan should be mandatory. Anyway, recent changes excluded, plasmas are both plentiful, beautiful, and affordable. If that's where this bike takes the market, then I'm all for it.
That said, the bike does look great, you have to give it that.
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gucha 2:39PM (3/02/2009)
I guess this one beats the price. 2400$ Specs are quite the same.
http://www.instructables.com/id/48V_Electric_Flat_Tracker/
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StreetScrambler 12:46PM (3/02/2009)
Price notwithstanding, this is incredibly significant. This puts a vehicle that would normally be considered part of an alternative lifestyle (so to speak) right out in the open where anyone can see it.
Soccer moms and Gamers who might never walk into, (let alone dare look into the window of) a real motorcycle dealership will now be confronted with this slick-looking, cool new machine.
Maybe they will be repulsed, or maybe they will be intrigued. Either way, this could represent a tremendous paradigm shift in who is considered a motorcyclist.
More detail on the real significance of this news can be found here: http://environmoto.blogspot.com/2008/09/enertia-electric-motorcycle-available.html
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