Book review of
Power in FluxI just finished reading
Power in Flux, written by Ted Dillard, and would like to offer my comments regarding his book, which I helped to fund by contributing to his Kickstarter campaign: Frankly, it was quite an exciting and interesting struggle to read the entire book as I can't believe how much information Ted packed into 347 pages. I really learned a lot regarding many of the vehicles, manufacturers, universities, races, racers, personalities and innovations that made electric motorcycles possible, many of which I became familiar with during my years reading posts on the elmoto, Electric Motorcycle and Brammo forums.
In his book Ted provides considerable detail about every subject you can think of regarding the recent history and development of both commercial-manufacturer and enthusiast-built electric motorcycles, including the development of the motors and batteries that made these vehicles practical and the racing teams that did their best to make all of the parts work in unison and push the envelope on the racetrack. I highly recommend
Power in Flux to any electric motorcycle enthusiast who wants an in-depth look at the beginnings of the future of motorcycles. (And yes Ted does cover the history of Brammo - in even more detail than he does the Zero.)
However, be aware that
Power in Flux is not your typical large-format “coffee table” book with museum-quality photos of old classic British motorcycles. It is a 9” by 6” paperback book that takes you on a written trip from the beginnings of this century to 2016. It has lots of words and just enough slightly grainy photos to illustrate the discussion in the text. Ted's book is really directed at the enthusiast who wants an inside and detailed look at what has occurred during the past 15 or 20 years. It contains facts and quotes that you would never be able to dig up yourself and you will be amazed at how much work its author must have put into acquiring this information. What
Power in Flux is not is a general history about electric motorcycles that will appeal to the non-enthusiast who is just wondering about the technology. Ted has dug down to the “nitty-gritty” and if you want the basics, head for an encyclopedia or Wikipedia.
If you would like to order a copy of
Power in Flux you can visit this website:
https://powerinflux.wordpress.com/ I think you will be surprised at what you will learn and I am certain that you will not find another book about electric motorcycles that is anything like it. Ted's book is just plain unique. It is a book that you will want to read more than once and you will definitely want to keep it on your bookshelf for future reference.
