Brammo Owners Forum
General => Brammo News And Views => Topic started by: Brammofan on August 11, 2010, 04:17:33 PM
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This thread is for all those questions we want answers to, that may be answerable by a Brammo employee.
Try to ask one question per post.
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From Setting the clock, "basic setup operations" (http://brammoforum.com/index.php?topic=298.0):
Can you set anything other than "hours" in setup mode?
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Can we get brochures from Brammo (e.g. by mail, by download) to hand out at events where there may be people interested in learning more about Brammo?
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When (assuming this is still the plan) will GPS and WiFi be an option for Enertia owners?
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Obviously this is a long way off, but I would love to see some of Brammo's future operating philosophy with respect to developing battery technology.
At 2000 cycles / 50k-80k miles, current Enertia owners that put a *ton* of miles on their bike will be coming up on a battery change around 2016-2018. Most gas bikes would be ready to retire at that point, but a dedicated Enertia owner could conceivably be prepping for a new battery. Is the design philosophy to make more modern replacement battery packs available, or to offer like-original replacement packs?
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Battery Technology: This is moving very quickly and is highly competitive so it is all but impossible to forecast changes as far out as 2016.
Remember - when your Enertia batteries hit 2,000 full cycles they don’t just drop dead. They will have been sliding gracefully towards 80% of their original capacity over 2000 cycles. So here are your choices at that point:
• Do nothing the bike works just fine and you are totally happy.
• Replace with original specification Valence batteries.
• Install a different “go farther” battery set supplied by Brammo.
• Install a different “go farther” battery set supplied by a third party.
• Sell your iconic Enertia on e-Bay (did Brian name that too?) for $50k buy a brand new Brammo and put the rest in your 401K
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WiFi and GPS Added functionality is still very much part of the product plan and development work is continuing at speed. What has changed is the way we will deliver these functions on the bike and exactly what our customers want it terms of features and functions. Maybe the Forum would be a good place to share your thoughts - What are the Killer Apps for EV riders?
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Brochures The only printed material we produce are the Hero Cards. Those small postcard sized handouts. We send out 24 cards with each new bike and the Brammo service techs carry stock. You can always email me astewart@brammo.com with your snail mail address and I will send more Hero Cards your way.
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Setting the Clock Correct right now you can only set the hours. However, a future release of firmware will allow you to change the minutes also.
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Harry also had a question:
Does the speedometer measure speed from:
a: the front tire
b: the rear tire
c: the motor
d: GPS coordinates
e: magical fairies somewhere inside the body?
And the answer is....the mph display is driven by the motor contoller measuring the motor speed. Therefore any changes to the rear wheel, rear sprocket, or even rear tire would make the speedo innacurate.
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Thank you, Adrian, for those answers.
Regarding your question about "Killer Apps for EV riders," please see the thread devoted to this question:
iPhone App? (http://brammoforum.com/index.php?topic=155.0)
Lots of great ideas there.
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y, today I got a call from TW vehicle bureau. he asks if I can show him some catalogs to proof EV bike [Empulse] is so powerful to be qualified as superbike [550cc or above].
Can we get brochures from Brammo (e.g. by mail, by download) to hand out at events where there may be people interested in learning more about Brammo?
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Hello,
Is there any chance of seeing the empulse in France or Switzerland in the (near) future ? The only options available for the moment that I can find are the vectrix and the zero S, but I'm not too found of the V's NiMH battery, and both seem unrealistic for a 30 miles one way commute with good speed (around 55-60 mph)
Thank you for your attention, and have a nice day,
ZF
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Hello Brammo rep,
There is some confusion about charging times on the new Empulse. The website says the 8.0 can be charged in 1.5 hours on the L2 220V charger. However, when asked at the Empulse unveiling, Craig said it will charge 1 kwh in 22 minutes. so that implies the 8.0 will take 3 hrs to charge, not the 1.5 hrs on the website.
What is the charge time for the Empulse 8.0 on L2, 220v charging??
Thx-GSB
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Subject: Tail light
I think a thread might have been deleted that touched on this issue. Someone was modding their own LED tail light, and ... BrammoBrian, I think, mentioned that the tail light on the Enertia was the same as on the ... Suzuki something?
Anyone remember?
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Subject: Tail light
I think a thread might have been deleted that touched on this issue. Someone was modding their own LED tail light, and ... BrammoBrian, I think, mentioned that the tail light on the Enertia was the same as on the ... Suzuki something?
Anyone remember?
I think it is the same as the SV650
try here for the clear LED version
http://clearalternatives.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=CA&Product_Code=CTL-0015-L&Category_Code=SV1000 (http://clearalternatives.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=CA&Product_Code=CTL-0015-L&Category_Code=SV1000)
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Thanks, David. I thought it might have been the SV650. And double thanks for the link.
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Dear Brammobrian,
Could you please give us an update on the Empulse development program and or any news on the production schedule-Thx-GSB
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Hi George. I can't give you an update, but, like you, I am hopeful that someone from Brammo will drop in soon and share some news with us. Keep watching this space. . . .
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Hi George. I can't give you an update, but, like you, I am hopeful that someone from Brammo will drop in soon and share some news with us. Keep watching this space. . . .
Couldn't you call Craig. He owes you one from that time in high school when he stuffed you in that locker. Just curious, what instrument did you play in the band??
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More information about this on this thread, (http://brammoforum.com/index.php?topic=443.0) but I was wondering if a Brammo Tech would care to comment on the question of installing the Wolo Bad Boy horn on an Enertia.
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Brammofan,
If they are scheduled to start production in Europe in April, 2011 in European Flextronic plants do you thing that means we could see Empulse production start a little earlier in the US??--GSB
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Well they are building a new Factory in Ashland. But it won't even be done till spring.
Of course I don't know what the Factory is for...Enertia, Plus, Empulse?? Or other? Or just offices and sales and design?
Anybody know when the factory will be done and what it is being built for?
Gavin
factory clearing... (http://www.facebook.com/BrammoInc#!/album.php?aid=248312&id=108820970442)
A lot of progress. The idea is to get the bridge done, all the infrastructure in and the water, gas, electric and Fiber in before winter, rock down and ready to pave first thing in the spring.
So actually paving in spring, factory much later?? Or can they build factory over winter and just need warmer weather for the paving part?
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Wish I had answers to those questions, but I don't. My experience has been that they do provide the answers -- you just have to be patient.
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I bet paving is last. Have you guys ever been to Ashland?? I have but it was before I knew about Brammo being there. It's a nice little town. If you go make sure you do the Brewery. Good food and of course good beer. They bring out a sampler of all the diff beers then you order what you liked best.--GSB
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A lot of progress. The idea is to get the bridge done, all the infrastructure in and the water, gas, electric and Fiber in before winter, rock down and ready to pave first thing in the spring.
So actually paving in spring, factory much later?? Or can they build factory over winter and just need warmer weather for the paving part?
[/quote]
Gavin:
They need to do the foundation & concrete work before winter sets in, as placing reinforced concrete in winter is complicated, to say the least. Much of the rest of the work can proceed in winter, with some caveats.
I hope this helps,
eric the architect
aka the webman
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We hear the requests for updates on release schedules for Empulse and Enertia Plus. We will not release anything official most likely until the beginning of the new year as there are some pieces that need to fall (get wrestled?) into place to give better visibility on timing. For the record, the progress on the new Brammo facility does not directly impact either of these development schedules. I will provide more information as it becomes available or I am cleared to release it... Thanks for your patience!
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Cool...thanks Brian...it is just good to know that Brammo is keeping an eye on us here :)
As for the Factory...Offices, Sales and Product development...
Not product making...guess that is elsewhere
Gavin
Ps...Brammo site now says: Available Mid 2011 for the Plus...so it seems Summer would be the latest info...at least till the beginning of the new year. I shall endeavor to be patient, but it was never a strength of mine :)
and i was hoping to put some cold weather miles on a Brammo this winter to see how she does in chilly mornings...guess that will wait till next winter.
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Brian....Enertia Plus top speed...any info available on that at this time?
Gavin
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Best Buy has run trials (http://green.autoblog.com/2010/11/18/la-2010-all-electric-mitsubishi-i-not-the-i-miev-takes-the/) with the Mitsubishi MiEV, and now they will sell a fast DC charger for it.
What technical roadblocks exist that prevent the Empulse and Enertia (especially Plus) from charging on a standard DC fast charger? (if one exists - the Volt and MiEV have different branded chargers, not sure if they are standard interfaces)
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What technical roadblocks exist that prevent the Empulse and Enertia (especially Plus) from charging on a standard DC fast charger? (if one exists - the Volt and MiEV have different branded chargers, not sure if they are standard interfaces)
I believe there is no "standard" fast charger. The issue is whether the vehicle has an "on-board" fast charger that converts mains voltage and current to the DC voltage and current required to charge the battery (along with the thermal management of that system) or it exists as an "off-board" charger as with the Mitsubishi that does this conversion and then just presents DC voltage and current to the battery pack through a "bypass" (around the on-board 110V charger) circuit. Unless there become standards for battery pack voltage and charging rates, then it is unlikely that such an off-board fast charger would be standard across two vehicles. You're basically talking about a high power programmable power supply, in which you could change the output voltage and current depending on which vehicle you're charging. Most manufacturers would probably advise against that due to the potential of charging a vehicle at the wrong voltage and current and damaging the battery pack.
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Perhaps he means the 220/240v Level 2 charging.
As for Level 3 fast charging (30 minutes to fill a LEAF or iMiEV)... There are hundreds of those in japan, some just now coming to the US...Nissan is especially working hard to get them as low cost as possible ( a 50k fast charger is now going for around 17k thanks to Nissan)...these chargers will charge a LEAF or iMIEV or any car with the level three connector. (edit...I think the LEAF has on board conversion)
I don't think motorcycles need level three at this time (let the car companies bring the product up to scale and bring the costs down), but I do think a motorcycle with 6kWh of batteries or more (like the empulse especially, but the plus too) should have level 2 charging...at least as a option.
In the not so distant future I can see motorcycles having 10 to 15 kWh of batteries and level three charging and boom suddenly you have electric motorcycles that are able to go touring...drive for 120 miles or so...stop to stretch legs and such and charge for 20 minutes...hop back on and drive 120 miles...rinse and repeat till butt is sore.
Commuter bikes today. Touring bikes within ten years. Fun time to be making electric vehicles. :)
For me?
Enertia plus will be replacing my 150cc 2 stroke scooter. I love her dearly, but she is dirty and uses gas..mid 2011, or hopefully sooner...I would buy it today if possible :) hint hint
2012 or 2013, will be adding either a fiat 500 ev or Honda fit ev as my city car. Likely the fiat as it is soooo damn pretty. But will check out the honda as it is hella practical and ok looking and will likely last a billion years.
Around that same time my wife will be replacing her Camry with a plug in hybrid.
We will be an almost gasless family at that point ( no snide jokes please).
At that point only my touring scooter will be gas only... hopefully in 5 yrs or so I can replace that with a Brammo touring powercycle that has a 150-200 mile range and 30 minute fast charging...
Then I would be all set until we get electric-solar jet packs....mmmm jet pack commuting for the win.
Gavin
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Brian,
At least give me a 0.5C, 220V off board charger.
Thx GSB
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Dear Brammo RDT&E as well as marketing and sales. I live on Oahu Hawaii. I ride my motorcycle everyday to work. I have access to all military bases as I work on a base. I would be a great test guy and marketing guy riding around the island. When you are ready to expand to Hawaii, I am ready to test the Empulse for you.
Sincerely,
Phil
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Nice try Baikinman :D
You never know, they might send one over. Have you pre-ordered your Empulse? One of the first 1000 people will win a free one.
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Brammofan,
I will wait until 2012 so some of the bugs can be worked out. Need to see if Hawaii will certify this vehicle.
But I am available as the Hawaii point of contact :{)
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Brammo,
What is the Hawaii plan? Will Best Buy be our outlet?
Phil
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I'll have to let Adrian (aka thespecialone) answer this question. I know there's a lot of independent dealer interest in Hawaii (not sure which island), but I don't know if Best Buy have targeted this as a future EV location. Seems like a pretty good fit though.
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Follow up on two questions.
1. Is Brammo going to support the SAE J1772 standard for Level 2 charging? This seems to be the standard with the Volt, LEAF, and Plug-in Prius supporting the standard. I just installed a J1772 charger in anticipation of my getting my LEAF (Nissan is saying February for the delivery). This is a big plus because public J1772 chargers are going to widely available as the electric cars roll out and it will certainly lessen the range anxiety if you can use them for the motorcycle.
2. I'll second the bring the Brammo to Hawaii. I have reserved an Empulse and I've been nominating dealers and encouraging dealers to call Brammo. The climate, topography, and demographics make it an ideal place for electric motorcycles. It is no accident Nissan made Hawaii one of the roll-out states for the LEAF.
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After the "we will continue to work thru 2011" (or words to that effect) aka , 'it ain't gonna happen when we said', there has been no info (that I have seen) regarding introduction date. Update ???
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1. Is Brammo going to support the SAE J1772 standard for Level 2 charging? This seems to be the standard with the Volt, LEAF, and Plug-in Prius supporting the standard. I just installed a J1772 charger in anticipation of my getting my LEAF (Nissan is saying February for the delivery). This is a big plus because public J1772 chargers are going to widely available as the electric cars roll out and it will certainly lessen the range anxiety if you can use them for the motorcycle.
My earlier question was pretty mangled. The MiEV charger is a J1772 charger (AC Level 2), not a fast DC charger.
So I have two questions:
1. Echoing akohekohe, will Brammo support the J1772 standard? Even if packaging constraints preclude an integrated J1772 charge receptacle, is an adapter possible? Tesla owners (http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/4478-J1772-Charging-for-the-Tesla-Roadster) are also wrestling with this same problem.
2. Is a transportable charger with higher voltage / current a possibility? Something like Tesla's Universal Mobile Connector (http://www.teslamotors.com/goelectric/charging/universal-mobile-connector), for example. I'd love to ride an Empulse to visit friends and family 80 miles away, but standard 110v/15A charging would limit such trips to overnight. If I could throw a 230v/30a charger that would plug into a dryer outlet into a backpack and go, I could easily make the trip down for a meal or a shorter visit.
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Is it true that the Empulse has production been delayed until the end of 2011?
If so, will Brammo offer a full-value trade-in for the Enertia+, so those of us that pre-ordered the Empulse can ride the Enertia+ until the Empulse is ready?
OK, I admit it - I stole the idea from Tesla....
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Is it true that the Empulse has production been delayed until the end of 2011?
If so, will Brammo offer a full-value trade-in for the Enertia+, so those of us that pre-ordered the Empulse can ride the Enertia+ until the Empulse is ready?
OK, I admit it - I stole the idea from Tesla....
That's a great suggestion if Brammo could pull it off! I certainly would'nt expect them to though. How about a lease program that could be part of the pre-order deal? It would get more Enertias on the road, hell I would happily lease the original Enertia if Brammo would swap it out for the Empulse once it is available. Who knows, some folks may fall in love with the Enertia and end up keeping both bikes!
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I've been considering buying the current Enertia and riding it till the Plus comes out...then buying the Plus and donating the first Enertia to the Campus Police here at the University of New Mexico...
Why I haven't is that I think my wife would be a bit pissed++. She won't mind if I buy an Enertia or if I buy an Enertia Plus...but buying a motorcycle and then buying a newer version within 6 months of each other, well she is hella practical...and that wouldn't fit her mindset at all.
Gavin
++ok, i know she would be pissed :) I already buy way too many toys as far as she is concerned. she's the type to buy a new car very 12 years or so...a new computer very 7 years.
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Has anyone been able to confirm that the Rogue Valley Newspaper article made a mistake on the numbers - or has Brammo changed their plans for the 100 mile-range Empulse 10.0?
http://www.roguevalleycleancities.org/images/news.html/March2011Newsletter.pdf (http://www.roguevalleycleancities.org/images/news.html/March2011Newsletter.pdf)
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That doesn't sound right to me. Three ranges, 60 - 80. Same prices as announced. I haven't heard anything about the demise of the 100 mile range. That doesn't mean anything, of course, but I'll try to find out.
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I'm certain it's a mistake. The 6 kwh and 10 kwh empulses should be nearly identical as far as efficiency goes, so if one is rated at 60 miles the other should be rated at 100 miles.
It's worth noting that the Empulse mile ratings are based on a higher power budget - eg faster riding - than the Enertia.
Enertia 3.1 kwh:
Claimed 40 miles nominal (7.8 kwh/100 mi), urban commuting. 30 miles, 10.3kwh/100mi suburban; 20 miles, 15.5 kwh/100mi highway.
The energy usage reports I've seen have been around 30 miles, or 10 kwh/100mi in 35-45 mph traffic. 55 mph is closer to 13 kwh/100 mi.
Enertia Plus 6.0 kwh:
Claimed 80 miles nominal (7.5 kwh/100 mi), urban commuting.
Empulse 6.0 kwh:
Claimed 60 miles nominal (10.0 kwh/100 mi).
This is likely to match closely to the 35-45 mph traffic of the Enertia. Highway commuting 65-85 mph may be more like 15-20 kwh/100mi, or 30-40 mile ranges.
Empulse 10.0 kwh:
Claimed 100 miles nominal (10.0 kwh/100 mi).
Highway commuting 65-85 mph more like 15-20 kwh/100mi, or 50-65 mile ranges.
Note these are all energy at the pack. Charging adds another 15-20%, so you're looking at suburban efficiency of 12 kwh/100 mi, highway efficiency of say 20 kwh/100 mi.
Compare that to the Nissan Leaf, which is rated by the EPA (at the wall) at 34 kwh/100 mi, and in practice seems to be getting 30-50 kwh/100 mi.
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Still no "official" confirmation, but my Brammole says it was just a typo. He/she/it also said that it's possible that it will be . . .
wait for it . . .
The Empulse 12.0.
:o
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12.0?
Is Brammofan purposely starting a rumor about a new Brammo model?
Extrapolating: A 12.0 version would cost $16K and have a range of 120 miles...
I would upgrade my reservation from the 10.0 :)
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Or is Brammofan implying that that updated Empulse will be getting better mileage than thought and the 10 will be renamed 12 as it will be getting 120 miles vs 100 miles...or speed...over 120 mph vs 100 mph??
so many possibilities..
Gavin
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"Purposely starting a rumor" ???
Moi?
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From the article:
"The Empulse comes in three ranges — 60 to 80 miles per charge — and three prices, from $9,995 to $13,995."
Looks like a simple misprint to me. It should have read: "60, 80 or 100 miles", or "60 to 100 miles". I think that the author just messed up. The rest of the stats are right out of Brammo's website.
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Or is Brammofan implying that that updated Empulse will be getting better mileage than thought and the 10 will be renamed 12 as it will be getting 120 miles vs 100 miles...or speed...over 120 mph vs 100 mph??
so many possibilities..
Gavin
The naming convention for the Empulse thus far has been by kilowatt hour of energy capacity - which directly affects range, and could have an effect upon power and sustained top speed.
If the 10.0 is renamed to 12.0, then the 8.0 might be renamed to the 9.6 and the 6.0 renamed to the 7.2 : )
The existing Empulse 10.0 should be capable of 120 mph with a sufficiently large controller and appropriate gearing. The stock controller is probably sized to meet the 100 mph target with the 6.0 kwh battery.
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What are the plans for the Enertia/ Enteria Plus in regards to the addition of longer range, transmission etc? I know that right now the big focus is on the Empulse bikes but I love the Enertia and hope that it will continue to be upgraded. It seems like the magic number in everyone's minds for electric bikes is the 100/100, range/mph. I think that if you got the Enertia Plus, or the next step up from it to that general range it would be unstoppable. It seems that people want at least a 100 mile range even if the only have to travel say 40 miles, I thinks it's the comfort of that cushion, knowing that you have more than enough range to get there and back is good peace of mind.
Keep up the amazing work Brammo!