After a slow start in the 90s, electric vehicles are finally starting to make their mark.
They’re fast, they’re sexy, and prices are dropping like a stone, while battery life and charge times are getting better and better. Tesla Motors is absolutely dominating the electric car market, and will likely continue to do so for the foreseeable future. But what about motorcycles? What’s going on there? We’ve covered a few of them over the last two years, but it’s been a while and I think we’re about due for an update. Besides, I can’t let Faisal and Eddie have all the fun.
The Mission RS
Every time I write an article about cars or bikes (it’s rare), I laugh to myself. Why? Because I a) drive about once a year, and b) don’t really give a shit about cars or motorcycles. I’ve traditionally seen them as a way to get from Point A to Point B, but that’s been changing over the last year. I’m actually pretty excited about electric cars, and now electric motorcycles as well.
If you’ve got about 15 minutes to kill while you’re eating a meal or waiting for your laundry to finish, then I would like you to check out this Motherboard episode on Mission Motorcycles, and their latest and greatest electric motorcycle – the Mission RS. In the words of a dear friend, it’s a nut-buster.
If you didn’t get hard just listening to this thing, then there’s something wrong with you. I’m not a bike guy, and even I wanted to slip into the non-existent tailpipe like that scene in Southland Tales. What an absolutely erotic looking bike, and the engine noise… damn son.
Now, for the stat junkies, here’s a little recap from the video:
- The Mission RS has a 160 horsepower motor, with 120ft/lbs of instant torque to the rear wheel.
- It has a range of 140 miles of highway driving, or 230 in the city.
- The gear cluster is digital, and runs what the team is calling “Mission OS”. This interface features a standard gear cluster, as well as turn by turn navigation, throttle position, learn angle, speed, and more – all of which can be tracked against Google Maps, or exported and analyzed.
- With a 10kw charger, the Mission RS can currently charge in about an hour, but has built in technology that will allow it to charge in about 10 minutes down the line.
- Each charge works out to about $1.50 in electricity!
This all sounds quite exciting, and though these suckers cost a whopping $58,999 and up, I have every expectation that we’re going to see the prices continue to plummet as economy of scale kicks in, and battery technology continues to improve.
It’s an exciting time for motorcycle and car enthusiasts, and I’m looking forward to seeing what companies like Tesla Motors and Mission Motorcycles come up with in the coming years. Hell, we may even be able to turn this whole global warming thing around before we completely ruin the planet!
