Brammo reveals pricing for Empulse electric motorcycles

Brammo has revealed pricing and release details for its new Empulse and Empulse R electric motorcycles. Both models are specced at an impressive 100 mph (160 km/h) top speed and 100 mile (160 km) range.

Both Empulse models employ a 10.2 kWh lithium-ion battery, 6-speed gearbox, and a permanent magnet AC motor generating 40 kW (54 hp) @ 8,200 rpm and maximum torque of 63 Nm. This translates to a 100 mph (160 km/h) top speed and 100 mile (160 km) range, or more specifically, an estimated city range of 121 miles (195 km) and an estimated highway range of 56 miles (90 km). Charging time is 8 hours, although a fast charging option will reduce this to 3.5 hours and Brammo estimates that (based on 13 cents / kWh for electricity) the cost of getting around town is just one cent per mile while highway jaunt will cost you two cents per mile.

While the 2012 Zero S matches the Empulse in range terms it maxes out at a top speed of 88 mph (142 km/h), meaning that the combination of range and speed figures quoted by Empulse are, to the best of our knowledge, unprecedented in a production electric motorcycle.

The difference in the two Empulse models is largely in the bodywork. The Empulse has semi adjustable front and rear suspension and its body work is all plastic, while the Empulse R features a carbon fiber headlight shroud, front and rear fenders, top panel and the rear light housing.

Pricing for the Empulse has been set at US$16,995 while the Empulse R will cost $18,995. Brammo has stated that production for the Empulse R will take place first with "limited availability in June 2012 and in volume by Q3 2012." The Empulse is expected to arrive in early 2013.

So is this an attractive proposition for those looking to make the switch to zero local emissions two-wheeled transport? We think so, but we'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments section.

Source: Brammo

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Tuk Tuk Factory launches all-electric e-Tuk Vendo

When most people in the western world think of tuk tuks (if they even know what they are), they likely picture rather beat-up, primitive, noisy vehicles that zip around the crowded streets of exotic foreign lands. A Dutch company known as Tuk Tuk Factory, however, recently started building its own electric tuk tuks for sale within Europe. Apparently the traditional gas-powered vehicles from Asia couldn’t meet European environmental, quality or safety requirements. While the company’s existing models have all been aimed at ferrying around passengers, last week it launched the e-Tuk Vendo – an all-electric three-wheeled mobile catering machine.

The Vendo’s lead-acid battery charges in ten hours, providing a range of about 70 kilometers (43.5 miles). That battery is also sufficient to keep the onboard refrigerator running while the vehicle is in transit. When it reaches its destination, however, the Vendo should be plugged into mains power – not only will this keep its fridge, water pumps and other systems from killing the battery, but it will also allow the battery to recharge. An optional roof-mounted solar panel will help in that department.

The vehicle’s 72-volt AC motor manages a top speed of 50 km/h (31 mph) – enough for city streets, but not for freeways.

A panel on one side of the Vendo opens up to provide a sheltered selling space, which can be augmented with a table that folds out from the vehicle. Cargo storage is in the rear.

The e-Tuk Vendo is available now through several European dealers, with prices starting at €24,000 (US$31,565). As production is starting at a small scale, expect to wait three to four months if you order one.

Source : gizmag

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Hybrid Humvee? US Army shows its diesel hybrid field vehicle

Still think hybrids and green cars are meek and hipsterish? Plant your eyes on the US Army's Fuel Efficient ground vehicle Demonstrator Bravo. It's one of the burliest vehicles you've likely seen in years, and it's all hybrid underneath its rugged metal shell.

If you think you spend a lot of money on gas, imagine how much money the world's most powerful military – with its tanks, generators, military bases, Jeeps and on and on – must spend on gas every day. Since being the world military leader also empowers you to, say, go out and develop the most advanced hybrid vehicle technology the world has ever seen, it's not too surprising to see the Army putting some of its resources toward building a cleaner, cheaper wheel.

The FED Bravo builds on the original FED concept shown last fall (the FED Alpha, in true US military fashion), adding mobile power supply equipment – besides running partially on electric power, the FED Bravo can also feed power into a microgrid for use at small military outposts.

In addition to its new role as mobile power station, the FED Bravo uses a completely different powertrain from the Alpha. In place of the original Cummins four-cylinder engine, the Bravo features a more powerful 4.4-liter twin-turbo Ford V-8 worth 268 hp. It gets its green cred from a road-coupled parallel hybrid drive system with a front-mounted electric motor and rear-integrated hybrid system. An engine start-stop system adds further fuel savings.

The Army didn't get into what type of fuel economy we're talking (probably because the fuel economy of a 17,000-lb (7,711-kg) armored truck wouldn't be all that impressive to the average consumer anyway), but when it first showed the non-hybrid Alpha model, it said that it would burn up to 70 percent less fuel than a standard up-armored Humvee. The New York Times reports that the Bravo gets 8.2 mpg (28.L/100 km) city and 14.2 mpg (16.5 L/100 km) highway, about double the numbers for a regular Humvee.

Proving it isn't any compact hybrid sissy, the FED Bravo uses an armored cab atop a tubular space frame designed to increase rigidity-to-weight ratio, not to mention a V-shaped hull for blast protection.

The Army received Department of Defense funding for the project and worked with a group of 18 students from Detroit's College for Creative Studies. The concept was developed at the Army's Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) in Warren, Michigan with industry partner World Technical Services, Inc. The Army showed the concept at the recent Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress, which took place late last month.

Source: US Army, New York Times and Gizmag

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