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Valence to Provide Li-Ion Batteries to Brammo for Electric Motorcycle
20 November 2008
Valence Technology, Inc. will provide its lithium phosphate batteries to Brammo for use in the Enertia all-electric motorcycle.
Weighing only 280 pounds, the Enertia motorcycle is an urban commuter bike that exceeds 50 mph and 45 miles on a single 3-hour charge. The Enertia standard model went on sale in 2008.
Following the successful completion of $10 million in Series A funding, this supply agreement with Valence was critical as we move forward to bring our Enertia motorcycle to market next year.
—Craig Bramscher, CEO of Brammo, Inc.
Valence Technology uses an iron-based phosphate cathode material enhanced via magnesium (Mg) substitution—LiFe(1-x)Mg(x)PO4—coupled with a graphite anode.
November 20, 2008 in Brief | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBack (0)
Comments
Posted by: Henry Gibson | November 20, 2008 at 07:49 AM
Hybrid bikes might make sense. I don't think this motorcycle looks incredibly attractive, though. With some increased storage density these bikes might have some pretty good ranges.
Posted by: bryan | November 20, 2008 at 08:22 AM
This thing looks pretty attractive as is! The beauty of a pure EV is the reduced engineering requirements: no transmission, motor and batteries can come off the shelf.
Posted by: GreenPlease | November 20, 2008 at 08:52 AM
Can't we build a fully-faired three wheeler?
Posted by: J-R | November 20, 2008 at 09:49 AM
No way HG: hybrids have lots of bits so are best off in expensive things (buses, luxury cars ...).
One of the sticking points with BEV cars is that people will want the same car to do the daily run and the odd trip into the country - hence the introduction of a range extender, more complexity and cost.
People don't have that same expectation with BEV mopeds. They will use another vehicle (private car or public transport) for the country trips without feeling that their bike has failed in its duty.
Posted by: DavidJ | November 20, 2008 at 10:41 AM
It's called an Aptera.
Posted by: | November 20, 2008 at 10:55 AM
Even people with gasoline powered motorcycle don't expect that much range. They may want to cruise all day but are used to a ~100 mile range (when being aggressive on the throttle...maybe 125 miles with a more relaxed riding style). Heck, most people don't want to be on a motorcycle much longer than what it takes to travel ~100 miles as they need to get off the bike quite often to avoid tiredness and soreness.
At 280lbs this thing is probably small enough for someone with a first floor condo/apt or an apt building with an elevator to bring it into their living space to recharge.
Posted by: | November 20, 2008 at 01:44 PM
J-R wrote: "Can't we build a fully-faired three wheeler?"
And see Aptera, ZAP Alias, VentureOne, and others emerging.
Posted by: Will S | November 21, 2008 at 02:49 AM
I like the bike and the idea, but at $12,000 - $15,000 still way to expensive to make any kind of practical sense. Let me know when they hit round two, double the range at half the cost.
Posted by: Dylan | November 21, 2008 at 04:44 AM
A few years ago, valence U-charge batteries were insanely expensive. Has anyone contacted them recently for a more current price?
Posted by: coal_burner | November 22, 2008 at 04:44 AM
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Even electric motor bicycles should be series hybrid and operated on gasoline, methanol, butanol or ethanol. The RCV engine is an example of an engine to use. ..HG..