Brammo Plans to Build Brand Around Enertia Electric Bike
Motorcycles are probably the softest challenge for anyone considering electric propulsion. Most bikers don’t stray too far from home, bikes are by nature lightweight, and unless you’re talking about a pumped-up crotch rocket, they don’t need to go stupid fast. The real challenge lies in marketing a bike with limited range and top speed with a high price tag, as battery technology still has a way to go in terms of affordability. But to that end Brammo, who soon plans to release the Enertia electric motorcycle to the market, has been beefing up their brand-building and marketing team by adding veteran players to their company.
Their new Director of Marketing is John Farris, who was GM’s Brand Marketing Director for the Chevy Silverado pickup truck and founder of Hardcard Holdings, a marketing consultancy who has worked with Toyota, Harley Davidson, and Red Bull among others.
- » See also: Brammo Cuts Price On Enertia Electric Motorcycle By 33%
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Adrian Stewart joins Brammo as Director of Channel Devolopment and will help the brand grow globally. His experience with IBM and other high-tech firms will help the brand expand as the Enertia gains footing in the increasingly-crowded electric bike market.
Last but not least is Robert Gerson who will be the new Electrical Engineering Manager, a 2-and-4 wheel vehicle enthusiast who helped bring the Vectrix Maxiscooter to the electric vehicle market early in the game. His experience with iRobot and Brooks Automation, among others, will bring more experience to the Brammo team as they rev up the Enertia, which will be sold at big-box electronics supplier Best Buy.
The 45-mile range bike is both sharp-looking and silent, and can reach 30 mph in under 4 seconds. Not superbike speed, but fast enough for most people looking to kick the petrol habit. Coupled with state-of-the-art battery technology and this new marketing team, the Enertia looks to be a strong contender in this new and exciting market.
See the press release on Page 2.
Unfortunately this bike is VERY expensive for the performance it delivers. There are MUCH better options out there for much LOWER prices.
The only reason to buy this bike is it’s looks. And it sure looks awesome - I take my hat off to the designer and engineers.
To the business and marketing managers I’d love to know how you’re going to sell these at this price/performance points.
Sorry to be so negative - I really want to see the two wheel EV segment succeed. Like you say it’s a natural fit done right. Alas, the Enertia doesn’t seem to be done right.
However, you might want to cast your net wider and look at other two wheeled EVs before apparently leaping to the conclusion that an EV motorcycle needs to be this expensive.
It’s getting to be like 3-day old fish; Brammo announces Enertia, an electric motorcycle with a practical top speed of 45 MPH and a practical range of less than 40 miles, all for $14,000. Vectrix managed to beat both numbers in a range of 3 more stylish machines that manage to avoid Enertia’s Edsel-in-profile top-heaviness for $4,000 to $6,000 less, and they’ve been selling their machines since 2007.
Electric Motorsport’s GPRS is an even more appealing CAFE styled 70 MPH Li-Ion e-motorcycle with up to 60 miles of range.
Zero-X builds a motocross bike with a 50 mph top speed and a 40 mile range, in a svelte 120 lb. featherweight, but the big attraction is a quick-swap battery pack, freeing riders from long intervals tied to a recharge cord.
Xtreme Scooters’ XM-3000 manages to match Brammo’s Enertia speed: (43 MPH, 50 mile range)in a perky scooter that sells at a discounted $2,645. For the price of one Enertia, you could buy five XM-3000’s and practically never run out of e-bike range. If that’s not enough oomph, Xtreme’s XM-500 LI offers a 60 MPH top speed and 85 mile range. At $6,049, it’s less than half the price of Brammo’s offering.
Point: This is Chevy Volt revisited; despite the huge marketing push, Enertia’s performance is inferior to e-bikes already available, at a price point well beyond market prices on competing products. e-motorcycles are already here and surprisingly affordable. The bottom line is that we don’t have to wait for Segway-style pricing to go electric on two wheels
“Motorcycles are probably the softest challenge for anyone considering electric propulsion. Most bikers don’t stray too far from home, bikes are by nature lightweight, and unless you’re talking about a pumped-up crotch rocket, they don’t need to go stupid fast.”
I disagree that motorcycles are a “soft” challenge. Traditionally motorcycles have always been recreational vehicles. Although they are a common commuter vehicle, the vast majority are Sunday Drivers. Most bikers don’t stray too far from home, but even though it may be only 20 miles as the crow flies, they may have torn up 100 miles worth of canyon roads en route. Others prefer to hit the highway at speeds well above the 60mph limit these bikes are capable of. The electric motorcycle is still very immature compared to electric cars but luckily they do present less of a challenge in that their systems are not as complex.
I do believe there is a market for the existing low speed, low range electric motorcycles, but they are simply for commuting and getting around town, not for casual riders who don’t have a carefully planned route picked out. Their low maintenance and lack of gas make them appealing to many, but that isn’t enough to sell most on it.
Sorry, but this is only appealing if you must have electric. The performance is less than a 110CC motorcycle and the range is considerably less. We don’t even have to bring up the price.