
Tesla ex Employee Startup: Electrifying Motorcycles - raphar
http://www.forbes.com/2009/02/04/electric-motorcycles-tesla-technology-breakthroughs_0204motors.html
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gojomo
HN regular DaniFong is working on compressed-air powered vehicles, starting
with motor scooters. I hope she can comment on Mission Motors' plans.

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DaniFong
I can't comment on their technical plan, but they're definitely on thin ice as
a business. Six months is not a lot of runway, and the enthusiasm for funding
luxury vehicles is not high right now: Tesla ran into this problem.
Additionally, they'll have a hard time making a case that they can scale to
downmarket, and so the marketing of the company depends not on whether it can
save people money, but whether it can build a brand powerfully enough. Tesla
did this very well, but it's still unlikely to save them.

There is another electric motorcycle company. They make a far more stripped
down bike. I think they're in better shape. <http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/>

Incidentally, due to the difficulties with getting to market in vehicles, the
first market for us is not likely to be vehicles, but energy storage (our
website is embarrassingly out of date.)

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gojomo
Thanks for the perspective and update. The focus on storage first makes
intuitive sense, as it is the unique step/subsystem that needs to work well
before larger systems.

The information about heat/cold from the compress/decompress cycle was
fascinating. Is efficiency anywhere in the ballpark for having applications
for home heating/cooling? As in: run a compressor nights or winters to give
off heat and store air, then release the air days or summers for a cold blast
to replace traditional air conditioning?

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DaniFong
Yeah, actually; that cycle give a pretty nice boost. That would save a lot of
energy for a home system. It also works in energy storage -- you usually store
energy in the dead of night, when it's cooler, and expand mid-day. It's even
possible to recover waste heat for more of a boost.

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sachinag
As a biker, I'll raise the same objection I did on Twitter:

Electric bikes will be silent. Drivers don't see motorcycles. Riding one of
these is even more dangerous than usual, because car drivers just won't see or
hear riders.

That said, I still want one. But I'd armor up, which I never did on my Harley.

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vaksel
They could add a noise generator to it. Brabus has one for the Tesla Roadster.
So you can still have your umpteen mpg motorcycle that sounds like a rocket.

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gravitycop
_They could add a noise generator to it._

FTA:

 _While Harley riders like to say "loud pipes save lives," the evidence for
this is thin. If riders still want a rumble, North says he can always add it.
(See "Teaching Cars To Sing.")_ [http://www.forbes.com/2008/08/21/singing-
prius-lotus-tech-sc...](http://www.forbes.com/2008/08/21/singing-prius-lotus-
tech-science-cz_cf_0821prius.html)

~~~
LogicHoleFlaw
I ride. I enjoy riding. I enjoy the loud grumble of a cruiser, and the
exhilarating whine of a sport bike.

When driving a car I still can't hear a bike overtaking me until it's already
passed. I think "loud pipes" is just a rationalization for bikers to justify
their beloved exhaust notes.

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gravitycop
The meat, FTA:

 _Called Mission One and designed by hotshot Yves Behar and his firm,
fuseproject, the bike is both beautiful and fast. At a top speed of 150 miles
per hour, it would be the fastest production electric vehicle of any type.
[...]

North says that because motorcycles are far more simple than automobiles,
Mission Motors won't get bogged down like Tesla has. Its staff will stay small
and nimble: It has a staff of about 12 right now. [...]

The bike will be powered by lithium ion batteries that will take eight hours
to fully charge, and it will have a range of 150 miles. [...]

The price of the first edition, limited to just 50 and to be delivered early
next year, will be $69,000. The company then will aim to sell another 250, at
a price not yet set, before it tries to introduce a new, cheaper, more down-
market model.

Long before then, the company will surely have some tight turns to navigate.
Turn one is funding. The company raised $1.5 million from angel investors and
venture capital firms. That's enough only to get through the next six months._

