Twenty-one months ago, Brammo announced the Empulse, a hot-looking electric streetfighter capable of hitting 100 miles per hour and offering up to 100 miles of range. Electric motorcycles had arrived. Minds were changed, $6 million in pre-orders were placed and enthusiastic fans hunkered down and chatted about this two-wheeled object of desire on internet forums and waited. And waited. And then…nothing.
Ok, not nothing exactly. The company made a number of interesting business moves, like teaming up with Flextronics for manufacturing and partnering with Polaris. They also announced a trio of motocross style bikes that would feature a six-speed transmission. It seems that it was the appearance of this multi-speed gearbox that signaled a change in approach to the sport bike drivetrain, and thus the delay that has continued until now.
Ok, until almost now. Brammo has announced it will fully reveal the Empulse and Empulse R on the 8th of May at a launch event, which will be webcast live to its (patient) customers with existing pre-orders. Fortunately, we aren’t completely left in the lurch until then. The company has just released technical specifications which give us an good idea as to what to expect from the new configuration. Scroll down to see them.
Gone, it seems, is the concept of one bike with either a 6-, 8- and 10-kWh-sized battery pack with a single-speed gearbox. Instead, we have the Empulse and Empulse R, each with a 10.2-kWh lithium battery using nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) chemistry and both sporting a six-speed transmission with a multi-plate, hydraulic activated wet clutch. It’s not clear how the two models are differentiated, though we imagine the “R” to have an edge performance-wise and, perhaps, a fairing. We expect the “non-R” to be naked. And both to be beautiful.
Top speed is given as 100 miles per hour plus for the R, while the potential range is laid out using three different scenarios. Driving at a constant 70 mph will take you 56 miles, a city/highway combination should net 77 miles, and pure city driving might keep you in the saddle for up to 121 miles. Acceleration is described as “rapid off-the-line”, and we hope it can keep up with its looks.
Charging from empty can be achieved in 3.5 hours using a J1772, level 2 set-up. Plugging into the wall may take as long as eight hours. Scroll down for the official press release along with all the fresh specs. We’ve also got the latest Empulse-centric promotional video that gives us a bit of insight into the new battery, the company’s racing heritage and a sneak peek of the new design.
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PRESS RELEASE
Brammo Reveals New Details for Empulse and Empulse R Electric Sport Bikes
ASHLAND, Ore., April 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Brammo, Inc., the designer and manufacturer of world leading electric motorcycles today announced details of its much anticipated Empulse and Empulse R electric sport bikes.
Both models utilize the world’s first drivetrain that has been designed and built for a production electric motorcycle. It features a water-cooled permanent magnet AC motor, IET 6 speed gearbox and Brammo’s unique BPM 15/90 battery modules. This drivetrain package endows the Empulse and Empulse R with rapid off-the-line acceleration, sustained high speed and industry-leading range.
Unique for a production electric motorcycle, both Empulse models also have J1772 Level II on-board charging system, allowing riders to easily take advantage of the growing number of charging stations being installed in cities around the world. The Empulse and Empulse R can be totally recharged in just 3.5 hours and every 10 minutes of casual charging adds 5 miles of range. With a little planning, a day’s journey of 200 miles or more can now be achieved.
Craig Bramscher, Founder and CEO of Brammo, stated, “The Empulse and Empulse R are a milestone for Brammo and the new electric benchmark for the motorcycling industry. I know when I reveal the bikes on May 8th people are going to be blown away by the integrity of the design and the focused presence this motorcycle commands.” Bramscher continues, “When we first revealed the Empulse prototype, our customers had some very clear feedback for us and that feedback has inspired much of what you will see in the production version.”
Brammo will be revealing the Empulse and Empulse R in Los Angeles on May 8th, 2012. The launch event will be webcast live to all pre-order customers. Those viewers will not only get to see the new bikes, they will get to hear what it’s like to ride one, straight from the mouths of Brammo’s development riders, two of which happen to be well-known motorcycle racers. Electric motorcycle racing is an integral part of Brammo’s mission, and its experience and championship record on the track has played a critical role in the evolution of the Empulse from concept to production. Professional racers have had a hand in the development process and they will be sharing their riding experiences and impressions at the reveal on May 8th.
A video interview with Brammo CEO Craig Bramscher will be released on Thursday, April 19th 2012 – https://www.brammo.com/video-ceo
About Brammo
Brammo, Inc., is a leading electric vehicle technology company headquartered in North America. Brammo designs and develops electric vehicles including the Encite, Enertia, Empulse and Engage motorcycles. Brammo is the current TTXGP eGrandPrix champion of North America. Brammo is an OEM supplier of its innovative Brammo Digital Drivetrain systems including the Brammo Power battery pack and Brammo Power vehicle management system. Brammo has vehicle distribution and marketing operations in North America, Europe and Asia. To learn more, visit www.Brammo.com
The following are trademarks of Brammo, Inc. in the United States or other countries or both; Brammo®, Enertia®, Empulse®, Empulse R®, Engage®, Encite®, Brammo Digital Drivetrain®, Brammo Power®, the Brammo logo and bulls head graphical device.