Brammo Empulse history

[Richard230]

My internet connection went out yesterday so I spent some time going through my computer files looking for things to delete. During that process I came across this discussion regarding the history of the Brammo Empulse that I copied almost exactly 6 years ago, likely from this site. Anyway I thought it would be a good idea to reprint it here:

Evolution of the Brammo Empulse

2009

2009-04-08 - Brammo announces Enertia TTR for entry into the inaugural Isle of Man TTXGP race. Based largely on the shipping Enertia street bike, the TTR powertrain is much closer to the powertrain later shown in the Empulse concept.

2010 - A New Hope

2010-06-03 - Asphalt & Rubber speculates about a possible upcoming sportbike project from Brammo.

2010-07-09 - Asphalt & Rubber confirms a forthcoming TTR-based sport bike from Brammo.

2010-07-15 - Brammo announces the Empulse; "available for immediate order and deliveries will commence in 2011". Brammo talks up benefits of direct drive.
"There's nothing between you and the road. With no clutch and no gearbox to get between your throttle command and the application of torque to the rear wheel, the Empulse provides the smoothest delivery of power you're likely to have ever experienced."

In an interview following the reveal, Mr. Brammo discusses making a offboard level 2 charger available as an option. "about 45 minutes per 1 kwh on 110, about half that on level 2"

2010-09-28 - Brammo lists Level 2 charging in the Empulse specifications.

2011

2011-03-?? - Brammo tests IET-equipped Empulse prototype.

2011-05-04 - Brammo announces partnership with SMRE for IET (integrated multi-gear transmission and electric motor).

2011-05-04 - Brammo emails preorder list to announce Empulse will "integrate our latest technology and deliver a superior bike in 2012". The obvious implication is that the Empulse will feature IET but Brammo does not confirm this at this time.

2011-05-25 - Rumors surface of a change of battery suppliers away from Leyden Energy.

2011-07-23 - Brammo announces Empulse TTX turnkey racebike program. Empulse TTX is a racing-modified Empulse with factory support.

2011-08-17 - Brammo confirms Empulse will ship with IET standard.
"[IET] enables the 2012 Empulse to accelerate hard from the line up to a high top speed, something that is just not possible to achieve with a single ratio electric motorcycle."

2011-09-06 - Steve Atlas on the Brammo Empulse RR wins the 2011 North American TTXGP series.

2011-10-19 - Brammo confirms that the Empulse will support two-up riding.

2011-12-09 - LA Times reports that the current prototype battery is 9.7 kWh and the shipping battery will be between 9.5 and 10 kWh, indicating that the less expensive 6 kWh and 8 kWh models have been dropped. They also report that the motor may increase in power from its original 40 kW / 54 hp specification.

2012

2012-01-05 - Brian Wismann reveals that the Empulse will support J1772 and charge in 3.5 hours.

2012-01-06 - Brian Wismann reveals the BPM 44/70 battery modules to be used in the Enertia Plus. Presumably the same cells will be used to build the Empulse battery packs.

2012-04-09 - Brammo Empulse newsletter reveals BPM 15/90 battery module to be used in production Empulse, shows Empulse prototypes on dyno, shows CAD model of battery module and motor / transmission package.

2012-04-18 - Brammo announces specifications for the production Empulse. Notable changes are 56 miles highway range @ 70 mph, 9.3 kWh capacity, regenerative braking, 440 lb 470 lb weight [silent edit sometime in May]. Empulse will be available in a standard and an R model; R model is equipped with higher-quality suspension and brake components and some carbon fiber fairing components.

2012-04-30 - Spy photographers capture the production Empulse filming promotional video.

2012-05-08 - Empulse launch in LA. Production bikes revealed, prices and nominal shipping dates announced: Empulse R in June for $18995, Empulse in Q1 2013 for $16995.

A book titled "(r)Evolution of the Empulse" (ahem) is available as part of the Empulse launch swag. The bike has most excellent insights into the design and production of the Empulse. Later an adapted digital version of the book with embedded video is released for free as an Apple iBook.

2012-06-?? - Brammo reportedly switches from SMRE motor to Parker motor for the production bike. IET is retained, but integration efforts reportedly cause a slip in production timeline. Edit: motor change confirmed by Brian Wismann on 12/11/2012.

2012-07-01 - Mail Tribune reports that Empulse production will begin in August. Brammo has linked to the article but not confirmed the new date.

2012-07-27 - Brammo shows Empulse TTX race adaptation of the production Empulse R. Presumably this will race in 2013 for the eSuperStock award.

2012-08-20 - Wes Siler @ HFL reviews the production Empulse R, pronounces it awesome-sauce. Later, adapted versions of the review show up on Wired, Jalopnik, and MCN.

2012-08-24 - Brammo posts a photo of the Empulse mid-wheelie. Probably the most important advantage of IET ; )

2012-09-02 - Steve Atlas on the Brammo Empulse RR wins the 2012 North American TTXGP series.

2012-10-02 - Brammo publishes a video of Wes's ride on the Empulse and some discussions with Eric Bostrom and Brian Wismann.

2012-10-05 - Brammo forum member Virtually Yours reports a delivery window between the end of November through December.

2012-10-20 - EmpulseRider n

[Brammofan]

Great stuff, Richard. It looks like you might have been cut off before you were done.

[Richard230]

I seemed to have been cut off by the forum system. Let me post the rest of the history:

2012-10-20 - EmpulseRider n

[Richard230]

I can't seem to post the second half of the article in this thread. My plan is to open up a new thread and try to post it again.

[Brammofan]

There has definitely been a glitch in this forum where people (including me) can't post the whole thread. No plans to move it elsewhere. Most days it's just you and me and a few others watching it.

Thanks for sticking around.

[EV promise]

An interesting article and many thanks for your perseverance. It's great to hear how small enterprises begin and expand. Treat their customers. Zero managed to improve the range with more battery capacity and the Empulse would benefit from that. I owned a Zero SR for a short time but enjoy riding the Empulse much more. The gears make the difference, I feel involved and have the local roads in the Lincolnshire Wolds to enjoy the riding.  It's a quality bike.  Yes, another 30miles of range would change things but I manage. Rode mine 6k miles over 2 years. Longest journey 124mls.
There will be people and companies out there looking to develop new electric motorcycles and they will look at Brammo and it's bikes. It's sad Polaris didn't develop the bike further. I do think the Victory bike looks better, faster charging is always welcome but electric motorcycles are a niche market.
New entrepreneurs will come along.

[Richard230]

It is really too bad that Brammo dumped the Empulse on to Victory and then they dropped it into the corporate trash. I think that if Brammo had continued to develop the Empulse it could have been on a par with Energica by now - although I am still not impressed with the concept of the 6-speed transmission on any electric vehicle. The was a complication that I don't think the bike needed.

[EV promise]

Hi, I do understand your thoughts on the gearbox, it does add weight and mechanical losses reducing range slightly  I think they wanted to be different, small companies look at the parts available off the shelf and see if they can be matched in a way that creates excitement in the buyer.
Zero developed it's own air cooled motor to match the r.p.m of the single gear stress and heating issues.  Brammo choose the liquid cooled approach with gearbox. They didn't on the previous models. The 3kWh charger is a real asset. I don't feel anyone has really moved forward. They have tweaked the edges and only integration to reduce weight and a significant battery change will move motorcycles on. A range of 145mls might see me give up gas bikes. My days of motorcycle touring are gone. Motorcycle owners like to tinker with their bike, brave person that does that on an electric bike.
I have a laptop I can connect, but it will be a sad day if I have too.
 I only use 2nd to 4th gears really. Most out of town roads are 50-60mph around here . These match the bike well. I've only put it in sport a few times and used the performance, fun but I have other bikes if I want to go somewhere in a hurry , enjoy the curves in the roads or ride further afield.
Where is the future of electric motorcycles, or motorcycles in general?

[Richard230]

What is the future market like for highway-capable electric motorcycles? I would say lagging far behind electric cars as far as public acceptance is concerned. I am really confused how electric motorcycles get absolutely no respect from government legislators, regulators, or other officials. They no longer qualify for Federal rebates (IRS credits) and few states offer rebates for their purchase. And this is after many years of legislators and the public complaining about motorcycle noise. You would think that the lack of noise from electric motorcycles would be something that they would want to encourage, but apparently not.