Richard230 posted elsewhere about Brammo possibly looking at getting back into selling cars.
The Polaris Slingshot would be an interesting application for Brammo's Empulse RR powertrain.
Look at the size of the engine and transmission here:
http://www.cycleworld.com/olgallery/127366/127405/31The Empulse RR powertrain (14+ kWh) and motor would fit easily where the existing transmission and engine sit, and provide substantial improvements in actual power. It might even be lighter; the GM Ecotec 2.4L weighs about 300 pounds fully dressed, the Aisin 5 speed transmissions weighs a bit over 100 pounds, add the cooling system and fuel tank and emissions equipment and 12V battery and starter motor and alternator and everything else and probably the full gas powertrain is well over 600 pounds.
So perhaps Brammo could deliver a 20 kWh battery, charger, motor and controller as a drop-in replacement for the gas powertrain. Cost would go up substantially - gas powertrain likely costs around $6k (due to being produced in quantities of 1M+), the Brammo replacement would likely cost well in excess of $20k (presently produced in quantities of 2).
I doubt the Slingshot will sell well at $20k, and I doubt an electric Slingshot would sell well at $40k (or $30k if able to capture federal and state EV subsidies). But it's probably the least risky route for Brammo to take to get into selling cars, and the performance should be very similar to (for example) the Tesla Roadster, at a much lower price.
