Brammo Motorsports, headed by CEO Craig Bramscher first came to my attention by producing the Ariel Atom in the US under licence from Ariel UK. Recently they’ve ventured into Electric Bikes! The Brammo Enertia electric bike is an urban commuter bike which can exceeds 80 km/h and has a 60 km range on a single 3-hour charge. At roughly US$.32 a fill-up and under one-cent a mile – it is positioned to be the compelling green alternative for the new urban consumer.

Let’s take an in-depth look at the Brammo Enertia Bike. Text adapted from Enertia Bike website.

CONCEPT

The Enertia was designed as a response to issues like global warming and overdependence on foreign oil. Brammo Motorsports decided to focus on elements which exposed the fun aspects of bike riding by designing a lightweight electric motorcycle.

A balance between the past and present was sought after and it appears Brammo have achieved something truly extraordinary. Their choice of materials, colours and textures bring out a sense of the highest levels of quality.

CHASSIS

Basically a stiff connection between the front fork and rear suspension pivot, the Enertia’s chassis took a lot of brainstorming, conceptualizing and trials before the design team arrived at the chassis you see here. It’s hard to make things simple!

The Brammo Enertia chassis is basically an “H” shaped beam which is left exposed from the side of the Enertia as an exposed carbon fiber line from the neck down to the rear suspension pivot. The “H” beam carries the batteries by forming two opposing trays which hold 3 batteries facing upwards and 3 downward-facing batteries. The electric motor is structurally face-mounted in the motor bay, upon which the rear suspension pivot is located. The ingenious packaging of the Enertia results in a compact electric bike with excellent stiffness and centralisation of mass. This in turn enables the Enertia Bike to handle easily and maneuver at all speeds. To date this is the most ingeniously packaged e-bike I’ve ever seen!

A hollow carbon fibre monocoque frame was designed for extreme lightness and stiffness, while managing to remain extremely simple. The frame weights only 7.3kg, much less than conventional production bike frames.

Brammo’s composite team lays up resin-impregnated carbon fibre fabric which is cut into specific shapes on a computer controlled machine, into CNC machined moulds. The fabric is layed up with a specific orientation and layering method. After this process is complete the chassis is baked in an autoclave at temperatures up to 350° F. The chassis is then clear coated for UV protection and aesthetics.

POWERTRAIN

Unlike conventional motorcycles, the Enertia Bike was engineered to have no transmission. The electric motors output shaft delivers power to the rear wheel directly via chain drive. The rear suspension consists of a high strength steel tubing swing arm and an adjustable air shock.

PERFORMANCE

Blessed with low inertia, the Enertia is able to put out 100% of its torque from ZERO rpm! At its fastest setting, the Enertia accelerates from 0-30mph in 3.8 seconds. A choice of power settings enables the Enertia rider to choose between high power/shorter range and lower power/maximum range. There’s also Brammo’s ‘Momentum software‘ to enable the owner to download information on their own driving habits so that performance settings can be customised.

The average US commuter travels about 47 miles at an average speed of 52 km/h daily. The Brammo Enertia can go up to 72 kilometres at 40 km/h. Top speed however, is 80 km/h!

ADVANCED BATTERY TECHNOLOGY

Six Lithium Phosphate battery modules are used in the Enertia. Supplied by Valence Technologies, Inc. of Austin, Texas, these batteries provide exceptional life and safety levels not found in other Lithium-Ion batteries. The six-pack is in constant communication with each other, with a Battery Management System (BMS) making sure battery levels and temperatures are within specifications. Think of the BMS as the ‘brain’ in an Electronic Fuel Injection system. The BMS monitors current being delivered to the batteries as it recharges, and the state of charge of each cell to ensure all six modules are well balanced.

Valence says that their Saphion® technology does not contain any heavy metals and does not exhibit the “memory effect” of Nickel-Cadmium and Nickel-metal Hydride solutions. Apparently Saphion® technology has also demonstrated excellent shelf life, long cycle life and is maintenance free.

Despite being the absolute best electric bike seen so far on this planet, at about US$12,000 the initial cost to purchase one of these EnertiaBikes is still very high. You could buy a small 4-stroke moped and still save a lot on fuel costs. Electric bikes have traditionally been hampered by range (you can’t travel long distance on one) and high up-front costs. The batteries on the Enertia have a service life of about 32,000km. Not sure what the replacement cost for the 6 batteries is like but it won’t be a pittance.

SOURCE/PICS: BRAMMO ENERTIA BIKE WEBSITE

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Brammo Motorsports, headed by CEO Craig Bramscher first came to my attention by producing the Ariel Atom in the US under licence from Ariel UK. Recently they’ve ventured into Electric Bikes! The Brammo Enertia electric bike is an urban commuter bike which can exceeds 80 km/h and has a 60 km range on a single 3-hour charge. At roughly US$.32 a fill-up and under one-cent a mile – it is positioned to be the compelling green alternative for the new urban consumer.

Let’s take an in-depth look at the Brammo Enertia Bike. Text adapted from Enertia Bike website.

CONCEPT

The Enertia was designed as a response to issues like global warming and overdependence on foreign oil. Brammo Motorsports decided to focus on elements which exposed the fun aspects of bike riding by designing a lightweight electric motorcycle.

A balance between the past and present was sought after and it appears Brammo have achieved something truly extraordinary. Their choice of materials, colours and textures bring out a sense of the highest levels of quality.

CHASSIS

Basically a stiff connection between the front fork and rear suspension pivot, the Enertia’s chassis took a lot of brainstorming, conceptualizing and trials before the design team arrived at the chassis you see here. It’s hard to make things simple!

The Brammo Enertia chassis is basically an “H” shaped beam which is left exposed from the side of the Enertia as an exposed carbon fiber line from the neck down to the rear suspension pivot. The “H” beam carries the batteries by forming two opposing trays which hold 3 batteries facing upwards and 3 downward-facing batteries. The electric motor is structurally face-mounted in the motor bay, upon which the rear suspension pivot is located. The ingenious packaging of the Enertia results in a compact electric bike with excellent stiffness and centralisation of mass. This in turn enables the Enertia Bike to handle easily and maneuver at all speeds. To date this is the most ingeniously packaged e-bike I’ve ever seen!

A hollow carbon fibre monocoque frame was designed for extreme lightness and stiffness, while managing to remain extremely simple. The frame weights only 7.3kg, much less than conventional production bike frames.

Brammo’s composite team lays up resin-impregnated carbon fibre fabric which is cut into specific shapes on a computer controlled machine, into CNC machined moulds. The fabric is layed up with a specific orientation and layering method. After this process is complete the chassis is baked in an autoclave at temperatures up to 350° F. The chassis is then clear coated for UV protection and aesthetics.

POWERTRAIN

Unlike conventional motorcycles, the Enertia Bike was engineered to have no transmission. The electric motors output shaft delivers power to the rear wheel directly via chain drive. The rear suspension consists of a high strength steel tubing swing arm and an adjustable air shock.

PERFORMANCE

Blessed with low inertia, the Enertia is able to put out 100% of its torque from ZERO rpm! At its fastest setting, the Enertia accelerates from 0-30mph in 3.8 seconds. A choice of power settings enables the Enertia rider to choose between high power/shorter range and lower power/maximum range. There’s also Brammo’s ‘Momentum software‘ to enable the owner to download information on their own driving habits so that performance settings can be customised.

The average US commuter travels about 47 miles at an average speed of 52 km/h daily. The Brammo Enertia can go up to 72 kilometres at 40 km/h. Top speed however, is 80 km/h!

ADVANCED BATTERY TECHNOLOGY

Six Lithium Phosphate battery modules are used in the Enertia. Supplied by Valence Technologies, Inc. of Austin, Texas, these batteries provide exceptional life and safety levels not found in other Lithium-Ion batteries. The six-pack is in constant communication with each other, with a Battery Management System (BMS) making sure battery levels and temperatures are within specifications. Think of the BMS as the ‘brain’ in an Electronic Fuel Injection system. The BMS monitors current being delivered to the batteries as it recharges, and the state of charge of each cell to ensure all six modules are well balanced.

Valence says that their Saphion® technology does not contain any heavy metals and does not exhibit the “memory effect” of Nickel-Cadmium and Nickel-metal Hydride solutions. Apparently Saphion® technology has also demonstrated excellent shelf life, long cycle life and is maintenance free.

Despite being the absolute best electric bike seen so far on this planet, at about US$12,000 the initial cost to purchase one of these EnertiaBikes is still very high. You could buy a small 4-stroke moped and still save a lot on fuel costs. Electric bikes have traditionally been hampered by range (you can’t travel long distance on one) and high up-front costs. The batteries on the Enertia have a service life of about 32,000km. Not sure what the replacement cost for the 6 batteries is like but it won’t be a pittance.

SOURCE/PICS: BRAMMO ENERTIA BIKE WEBSITE

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