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Royal Enfield Photon Electric Motorcycle Launch Price £20,000 approx.

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by Abhinand Venugopal from https://www.rushlane.com This one-off Royal Enfield electric motorcycle was made by Newtown-based Electric Classic Cars Global automotive industries have termed EVs as the future of mobility and many environmentalists (actual and keyboard warriors) are glad about it. However, an ideal balance between electric vehicles and petrol hybrids would be the best scenario if the world really wishes to cut down emissions drastically. The reason for this is that many countries still depend on coal power plants to generate electricity. Hence, a world of only electric vehicles could only accelerate emissions, indirectly. On the bright side, the push towards electric mobility has introduced an array of interesting products. This ranges from the cost-effective Tata Nexon EV we have here to high-end performance cars such as Porsche’s Taycan Turbo S. Newtown-based (in Wales) Electric Classic Cars have done something similar at a smaller yet equally interesting scale. Dubbed as the Royal Enfield Photon, the project is essentially a Royal Enfield Bullet with an electric powertrain. It’s a one-off product like most other commissioned Porsche, Land Rover or Volkswagen projects from Electric Classic Cars. Attention to detail seems to have been one of the top priorities in the EV since it does not look like a half-baked design. The uber-retro electric motorcycle is finished in a beautiful shade of British Racing Green with neat-looking Gold pinstripes against gloss black. The quilted leather seat is done in tan. Purists may argue that it has ditched the original ‘Royal Enfield charm’, but it’s often forgotten that the current line of Bullet products employs an archaic architecture — especially in terms of output-to-displacement ratio. The story could take a twist when the next-gen ‘350’ models hit the market. The Royal Enfield Photon is powered by a 12kW (almost 16bhp) hub motor coupled to […]

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New Kalk INK SL Electric Motorcycle Revealed with $10K Price Tag for the U.S.

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by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com For a while now, a Swedish electric motorcycle manufacturer by the name of Cake has been moving to position itself as a noteworthy adversary in this expanding segment. Its moves have been rather shy so far, but as of this summer the company is going head on into the segment with a brand new entry. This week, Cake gave us a dose of optimism for an outdoor summer with the introduction of the Kalk INK SL, a vehicle meant to be used for off-roading and the casual trip to and from work in equal measure. Cake says the new bike can be legally used on the road both in the U.S. and Europe. It is based on the same technology that underpins other Cake Kalk products (OR, &, and INK), but modified in such a way as to provide the performance required from a street-legal electric motorcycle. Sharing the drivetrain, battery, and aluminum frame with the others from its family, the INK SL separates itself from the pack by making use of a non-linkage suspension at the rear and motocross suspension at the front, black fenders and bodywork made from polycarbonate and ABS, and two 19-inch wheels. In addition, as a means to make it legal to operate on the road, the motorcycle received turn signals, front headlight, rear brake light, and a license plate holder. Mechanically, the speed of the motorcycle has been increased to 62 mph (100 kph) to provide it with the required highway speeds. The range is of about three hours, which translates into anywhere between 22 to 53 miles (35 to 86 km), depending on how it is ridden. “With the launch of the Kalk INK SL, we introduce the fourth model of street-legal CAKE bikes next to the Kalk&

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Honda Partners With GM To Develop Its Next Two Electric Vehicles

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by Brett T. Evans from https://www.motor1.com Honda will tune the scalable General Motors EV platform and Ultium batteries to suit its needs. General Motors will help Honda develop its next two electric vehicles, due in North Amercian dealers by the 2024 model year. The Honda EVs will make use of GM’s proprietary Ultium battery technology and modular electric vehicle platform, although the Japanese automaker will engineer the architecture to suit consumer expectations and design priorities. GM Ultium batteries, which were announced early last month, use proprietary low-cobalt chemistry, and the cells are stackable, either vertically or horizontally, to optimize energy storage for a variety of different vehicle types. Ultium power will make its way into the company’s scalable electric vehicle platform, which will underpin vehicles as diverse as the Cruise Origin self-driving car, Cadillac Lyriq luxury SUV, and future electric GM work trucks. The platform will allow for front-, rear-, and all-wheel drive, further improving flexibility. Honda, however, will provide engineering input on the platform before it makes its way into the automaker’s vehicles. Furthermore, interior and exterior design work on the EVs will be all-Honda, ensuring they have a look and feel consistent with the brand’s other products. Both new electric vehicles will be built at GM’s North American manufacturing facilities. The announcement makes good sense for both auto companies. The joint agreement allows GM to defray battery and platform development costs across even more vehicle lines, and assembling Honda vehicles in GM plants will streamline production. Honda, meanwhile, will be able to speed up the introduction of its own long-distance EVs, and both companies benefit from an expanded economy of scale. It’s also not the first time the two auto giants have teamed up on advanced technology. Honda and GM have collaborated on fuel-cell development before, and both

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Millennials Are Suckers for the Damon Hypersport Electric Motorcycle

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by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com/ It probably won’t be long until the electric motorcycle segment takes off, just like electric cars have started becoming more and more desirable not long ago. The difference is that in this case it will be the startups leading the charge, rather than established bike builders. So far, the big names of the industry have steered clear of actually committing to electric bikes, with the exception perhaps of Harley-Davidson. The American-made LiveWire, once fully on the market, might just open up the buyers’ appetite for this kind of machine. And the appetite is clearly there, even if prices for electric bikes are still extremely high. An example to that is Damon, a Canadian startup that is planning to make a splash with the Hypersport. We’re talking about a high-tech bike that develops 200 hp from an electric powertrain and should provide 200 miles of range from a 21.5 kWh battery. These figures certainly place it at the top of the food chain in its segment. It’s not only the powertrain that makes this bike unique, but also the technologies that were poured into it. Packed with cameras, sensors and radar, all ran by an artificial intelligence system, the Hypersport creates a virtual bubble of safety around the rider and the bike, sending the information it gathers via haptic feedback in the grips and on the windscreen edge. These features seem to have prompted people into really liking the offer. At the end of March, as Damon announced it acquired Mission Motors, a supplier of electric vehicle components, the company’s COO Derek Dorresteyn hinted that the entire 25-units run of the Hypersport Founders Edition has already been spoken for, at roughly $40,000 a pop. And a good portion of buyers are millennials. “Half the people ordering

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Damon Motorcycles Acquires Mission Motors, The Future Looks Bright

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by Florin Tibu from https://www.autoevolution.com Damon Motorcycles’ Hypersport electric bikes revealed at CES were a huge hit, with the entire limited fleet of Founders Edition machines already sold out in pre-sale. The company now takes another big leap forward with the acquisition of the IP portfolio of Mission Motors, one of the strongest names in the EV powertrain segment. The move might seem a bit surprising, but it shows that Damon Motorcycles are dead-serious about the development of future, more competitive models in this growing market. Among the technologies that are now property of Damon we find the proven designs that helped break the AMA electric land speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats, also setting new records at Laguna Seca in 2011, the 1/4 mile drag strip at Sonoma Raceway in 2012, or the Isle of Mann TT Zero race in 2014. The PM200 electric motor, the acclaimed Mission Inverter and the Skyline Telematics will now be further developed and integrated in new models that are en route to consumers. While Damon’s Hypersport Founders Edition consisted of only 25 units, the company currently has two more special bikes on pre-sale. The Hypersport Premier Arctic Sun and the Midnight Sun, in white-gold and black-gold trim, respectively, each with a $39,995 price tag. Securing one requires a $1,000 deposit while offer lasts. If special editions are a bit off your budget, but you still want an electric Damon bike, you can also get the standard version, Hypersport HS, which tips the scales at a more palatable $24,995. The Damon Hypersport is advertised with the “200 Making it count” punch line, emphasizing on the 200 horsepower, 200 mph top speed and 200-mile range figures. The bikes come with a liquid-cooled 21.5 kWh battery feeding a PMAC liquid cooled 160 kW motor that

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BMW’s i4 Electric Concept Comes With a Hans Zimmer Score

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  by Brett Berk from https://www.wired.com To fill the aural vacuum left by the disappearance of the engine, BMW brought in a ringer. Thelma & Louise. Rain Man. The Lion King. True Romance. Interstellar. Dunkirk. Each film works to take its viewers on an emotional journey, and each leans on a shared tool: a Hans Zimmer score that serves as a guide, signaling joy, grief, conflict, passion, and more in turn. Now, though, the Oscar-winning composer has turned his talents away from the silver screen and toward the windscreen, where he’s found a new vehicle that could use a touch of emotional direction: the electric car. Along with more than 500 horsepower and a range of 370 miles, BMW’s all-electric Concept i4 comes with music by Zimmer. These mini scores, which BMW calls “sound worlds,” will ripple out their smoothly vibrant vibrato—think Lionel Hampton on the theremin—when the doors open, as the car starts up, and as the car drives along the road. On the i4, a concept four-door coupe BMW unveiled earlier this month, the composition morphs slightly based the car’s current driving modes, whether “core,” “sport,” or “efficient.” Zimmer and his collaborator, BMW sound designer Renzo Vitale, call the i4’s soundtrack “Limen,” the word for the threshold below which a stimuli can’t be perceived. It’s all about connecting sound to an emotional experience, which in this case happens to be driving on battery power instead of watching Rafiki hoist Simba into the air. “We are at a moment in time, with electric cars, when we get to change the whole sonic landscape of everything in a vehicle,” Zimmer says. “We can allow the interiors of cars to set moods and give people an experience, to let people devise their own experience, not be forced into the rumbling of

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Harley-Davidson LiveWire Breaks 24-Hour Distance Record

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by Elena Gorgan from https://www.autoevolution.com One of the main complaints lodged against the Harley-Davidson LiveWire is the short range offered on a single charge, of just 140 miles. That doesn’t mean it’s not made for touring, though. Swiss rider Michel von Tell has just set a new world record for the longest tour in under 24 hours for an electric motorcycle, covering over 1,000 miles on a LiveWire. The bad news is that the record won’t be recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records, as von Tell did not have Guinness officials present. Electroauto-news reports (via Electrek) that von Tell started in Zurich, Switzerland and covered four countries and a total of 1,723 km (1,070 miles) on the LiveWire, in 23 hours and 48 minutes. He reached Stuttgart, Germany and then traveled to Singen, before heading to Ruggell, Lichtenstein, the final stop on his journey. He used Level 3 DC Fast Charge for charging stops, which considerably cut down stop times. Level 1 on the LiveWire uses a regular wall outlet and takes an entire night for a full charge. Level 3 guarantees a faster charge: a nearly full battery in 40 minutes or so. According to the media outlet, von Tell would stop for charging on Level 3 for an average of 25 minutes whenever he needed to. The previous 24-hour record for an electric motorcycle was set in 2018 on a Zero S fitted with optional Charge Tank and using a team of riders, on a test track. Von Tell traveled in traffic, on the highway and was all alone. While he couldn’t afford the Guinness fee, which would have ensured officials were on hand to confirm the record, and didn’t have a method to do the electronic self-recording required for Guinness confirmation, von Tell did provide

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Coronavirus Delays Voxan Motors’ Electric Motorcycle Speed Record Attempt

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by Sebastian Blanco from https://www.forbes.com/ It’s a specific category, but the Venturi Group’s Voxan Motors is working to create the fastest electric motorcycle in the world. Well, the fastest electric motorcycle “propelled by the action of one wheel in contact with the ground, partially streamlined, under 300 kg,” according to the team website. That specific record is currently held by Jim Hoogerhyde, who rode a Lightning SB220 electric bike to 203.566 mph in 2013, according to Jalopnik. Voxan has set a target of 205 mph for its attempt but the date of the record attempt has been pushed back. The new world speed record attempt was supposed to happen in July 2020 at the Salar de Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia, but that has been indefinitely postponed due to the cornoavirus. The Venturi Group, which is based in Monaco, issued a statement today saying that it is following the health directives issued by the Monegasque Government and that: “The development teams responsible for the Voxan Wattman motorcycle, which has just completed its initial on-track testing, are now confined to their homes.” Without being able to get together to work on the bike, the team can’t fine-tune the machine on-track, leading to the postponement. “The health and safety of my teams is paramount. In view of the current health crisis, I have put in place the necessary measures. All of my staff, whether they are attached to Venturi North America (Columbus, Ohio) or to the headquarters in Monaco, are now working from home,” said Gildo Pastor, president of Venturi Group, in a statement. “We will establish a new calendar of operations as soon as the health situation allows it, and announce the new operational arrangements for this project, which is very important to me personally.” The bike Voxan was (is) going

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Super Soco TSx Is The Future Of Beginner Motorcycles

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by Enrico Punsalang from https://www.rideapart.com/ It has as much go juice as a 50cc moped. The world of electric motorcycles is growing as fast as that nephew of yours you only see once a year who’s now taller than you and is about to finish his PhD. In other words, electric bikes have been around for quite a while now, and can easily go by unnoticed, both literally and figuratively. Either electric motorcycles occupy a space that’s still way too niche for the common folk, or are completely shunned away by purists who think that machines running off dead dinosaurs is something sustainable (I’m not saying I’m not one of them)—the fact remains that electric motorcycles are the future. Realistically speaking, the future entails the adoption of existing rules and regulations with regards to gasoline-powered machines. Hence, it isn’t unlikely that countries with licensing restrictions for motorcycle riders will start limiting the amount of go juice beginner riders on electric motorcycles can start with. Super Soco has an eye towards the future—albeit a not so exciting one—with their newest bike, the TSx. The Super Soco TSx has the equivalent power and top speed of a 50cc beginner motorcycle. With a whopping top speed of 45 miles per hour, this little bike is definitely not going to get you in any trouble even when you’re giving it the absolute beans. This is something that parents of sixteen year olds looking to get into motorcycling could rely on to help them sleep at night. Nonetheless, the Super Soco has style going for it, with a thoroughly modern naked sport bike aesthetic. It weighs a measly 154 pounds and is powered by a Bosch 1900W electric motor. The motor has two maps which allows it to limit top speed to 28 miles per

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Harley-Davidson’s electric motorcycle LiveWire creating buzz at Daytona Bike Week

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The Harley-Davidson LiveWire’s cool factor seems undeniable among Daytona Bike Week testers, but if you have to buy cool it comes at a $30,000 price. This is one Harley-Davidson you won’t likely see around town during Bike Week. At least not yet. And it’s one you definitely won’t hear. Harley’s new LiveWire, just now winding its way into the market, is a mystery to many, as well as a culture shock — “A Harley without the rhythmic thumping?” This thing sounds more like a sewing machine. But so far, if first impressions mean anything, the LiveWire is also a hit. Test rides at Harley’s demo station — outside Daytona International Speedway — are producing one group after another of impressed bikers who, briefly, unsaddled from their traditional Hogs for a proverbial ride into the future. “As I was riding it, I was thinking this might be my next bike,” says 71-year-old James Lamoureux, a longtime biker from St. Johns County. “Harley, they took a long time, but they did a great job. This thing is cool.” The cool factor seems undeniable, based on the overwhelmingly positive reviews from testers. But if you have to buy cool, it comes at a price. The LiveWire sells for about $30,000, roughly $10,000 more than you’d pay for a traditional Harley Softail at Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Harley-Davidson. “It’s very impressive. Everything about it,” says D.J. Richter, part of a group of Indiana visitors who tested the LiveWires as a group. But at $30,000? “Thirty?” Richter replied. “It’s not that impressive.” But the LiveWire, five years in the making after its 2014 conceptual introduction, wasn’t designed to flood the market. At that price, it has no chance to help Harley attract the much younger demographic the manufacturer — and industry as a whole — needs

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