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Engineers at Brammo Inc., Ashland, Oreg., have designed and built the all-electric Empulse motorbike, a follow-on to the firm’s first electric bike, the Enertia. There are three versions of the new bike, the 6.0, 8.0, and 10.0, with ranges of 60, 80, and 100 miles, respectively. But each can hit 100 mph. (The $8K Enertia, by comparison, travels at up to 60 mph for about 40 miles.) Prices for the Empulse range from $10K to $14K, depending on range. Key to the Empulse’s power and performance is a new variety of lithium polymer battery. The rumored downside to the new battery is that a full recharge takes 6 to 8 hr. The bike relies on a liquid-cooled MPP traction motor from Parker Hannifin Electromechanical Automaton Div., Rohnert Park, Calif. The motor’s internal cooling and innovative windings give it 40% more torque per unit size compared to conventional permanent-magnet motors. It is said to deliver between 20 and 350 kW of power with 97% efficiency.
