Hard Charging

An electric motorcycle that's quick off the mark

August 8, 2007—Those lightcycles from Tron may not have been so far-fetched after all. Brammo, an Oregon-based startup, has just rolled out the world's first all-electric, zero-emissions production motorcycle. Spurred to action by the documentaries An Inconvenient Truth and Who Killed the Electric Car? the creators based the all-electric two-wheeler on the aesthetics of the Apple G5, according to head designer Brian Wismann. It'll never match a Ducati in terms of performance—maximum speed tops out at 50 mph, and range is just 45 miles—but the 275-pound bike is a solid option for city transport, especially considering that a single charge will run you only about 32 cents. What about the seductive growl of a good old-fashioned internal combustion engine? "At first we thought we would miss the noise," Wismann says, "but it's very visceral, like sailing, with an unseen force of propulsion." Unseen, but not entirely unfelt: The Enertia converts 100 percent of its torque off idle, so new riders often have to ratchet the power down, not up. At least until the leather-seated bike's onboard computer has memorized your riding style. Tron costume optional, by the way.

Brammo Enertia, on order now for 2008 delivery, from $11,995, www.enertiabike.com