When three of the guys behind the Tesla Roadster set out to build a motorcycle, you know it’s not going to be your run of the mill bike.
And you’d be right. The Mission One from Mission Motors wants to redefine the way we think of two-wheeled transportation by creating an all-electric motorcycle that performs as good (if not better) than it looks while creating zero emissions along the way. Using a combination of lithium ion batteries, a high performance electric motor, and an onboard computer system, the Mission One is designed to go 150 miles on a single charge and top out at 150 miles per hour.
Batteries have long been the limiting factor for electric vehicles, since they’re seen as heavy, large and expensive, but with Mission One’s lithium ion batteries, the bike can be lighter, cheaper, and carry more energy, and it’ll only take 2 hours to charge between fun runs. The bike also uses a regenerative braking system to gain back some of the energy typically lost during a ride.
On the performance side of things, the electric motor means you can tap all 100 foot-pounds of torque at any time from 0-60 mph, giving you a limitless torque curve that can pull you out of any tricky turn. Ohlins forks, Ohlins shocks, Brembo brakes and Marchesini wheels round out the physical components, while a real time wireless data acquisition system ensures that the rider knows at all times exactly what’s going on at the track and on the street.
The body itself was designed by Yves Behar of Fuse Project, the man behind the Jawbone headset, so it also looks as good as it performs. With angular lines, modern materials and a sleek, futuristic silhouette, it’s like a combination of a Ducati and a KTM that work well in all the right places.
If the bike of the future is calling your name, then give Mission Motors a call, because at just $69,000 the Mission One will be going fast in more ways than one.
Being all-electric didn’t stopped BRABUS from getting their tuner hands on the new Tesla, but is did stopped them from making changes to the drivetrain, suspension, or even a majority of the body panels.
Instead what they focused on was gadgets and gizmos to add to the already gadget and gizmo filled ride.
Changes include a “space sound generator” that gives you the sound of a simulated V8, simulated race car, or two “futuristic soundscapes” named ‘Beam’ and ‘Warp’ when you mash the go pedal, “space lights” (better known as an underbody kit), a new rear spoiler and rear diffuser, front lip and integrated daytime running lights (stolen from Audi), and a custom-tailored BRABUS interior and tire/wheel combo.
Apparently BRABUS felt that the Tesla was some sort of sacred ground, because this is definitely the lightest hand they’ve touched any car with, but hey, at least it’s a start.
Fisker Automotive wants to bring the sexy back to green sport car design.
With Tesla taking a sad and slow turn towards the automotive afterlife, there’s now a gaping hole in the car world for people who want to drive green, but don’t want to drive slow to do so.
Enter: Fisker
The Karma (clever) will be a four-door plug-in hybrid sports sedan, and will start at just $80,000. (I say just because technology like this doesn’t come cheap when you’re trying to debut a whole new type of transportation.)
With initial delivery scheduled for late 2009, and an estimated production run of at least 15,000, there’s definitely some hope of this thing seeing the light of day.
And if it does, what will drivers see?
A sexy exterior wrapped around an even sexier interior powered by a Q DRIVE powertrain. (Q DRIVE is Fisker’s name for their plug-in hybrid technology.) Basically, a small gas engine turns a generator which charges the lithium ion battery pack which then powers the electric motor.
With this configuration, the car can be driven for up to 50 miles per day, as long as the car is then plugged in each night. By following this routine, the car then also only needs one fuel fill-up. Per year.
Will this change the face of green automotive design?
As with the Tesla, only time will tell; though I do hope that this one at least makes it into production, since we’re at going to need baby steps if there’s ever going to be hope of running towards a cleaner type of automobile.
