Pricing for the original Enertia 3.1 kwh

[protomech]

Gavin posted an earlier thread regarding a brief twitter conversation where BrammoCraig was inquiring what Gavin would pay for a 6.0 kwh Enertia.

Now that the Enertia Plus and the Empulse have been announced (early 2011 and Q3 2011 announced production), motorcycle.com claims that Brammo plans to continue selling the Enertia 3.1 kwh.

Bramscher said the current Enertia – which underpowered or not, won Motorcycle.com’s first-ever Electric Motorcycle Shootout  over the Zero S – will continue along side the Enertia Plus. If the new bike steals too many sales from it, or other customer feedback deems it necessary, he said they might stop selling it, or retrofit a lighter battery to it, or retain it for foreign markets or fleet clients. Time will tell on that question.

The long-winded question: What would you pay after all rebates, before taxes for an Enertia 3.1? For those of you that bought the original at $8-12k, would the additional range of the Enertia Plus have upsold you, supposing they were both available? What would the Enertia 3.1 have to be priced at to make it an attractive value over a $9k Enertia Plus?

PS Also post the final cost of the Enertia Plus after all rebates in your area.

[protomech]

AL has no state rebates, so the federal 10% rebate is the only rebate available, making the Enertia Plus $8100.

30-35 miles of realistic range from the Enertia 3.1 is barely enough for a daily commute for me. On any day where I expect to go out to lunch, have errands or activities run after work, I would be unable to commute on the Enertia 3.1 due to a lack of range.

The opportunity to recharge at work would resolve most of those issues, at which point I would consider an Enertia 3.1 for commuting. I think a price around $5k after rebates would be my tipping point, given a nearly $8k Enertia Plus.

An Enertia Plus would allow me to commute without concern over range, and I would pay a fair bit more for that flexibility.

[Gavin]

It would be hard to buy, for me, the Enertia with the Enertia Plus available....I'm not rich, but I'm not hurting so much that I would give up the range and other bonuses to getting the Plus.

That said...I guess at the right price it would be hard not to grab one...they are still great commuter bikes.

If the Plus was 9 and the non plus was 6, it could be tempting...but I would still likely get the Plus.

Gavin

[Kelly Olsen]

The following observation in one way is comparing apples to oranges, but in another it is a fair analogy.

For around $3,700 one can get a really nice Native "scooter" that will go 50 mph and get about 50 miles per charge with lithium batteries. You can get the same scooter for less money with lead acid batteries. And these are big scooters. In fact, you can get them at Hollywood Electrics.

Now this is not as cool looking as the Enertia in anyway, and they don't have a motorcycle feel or ride, but if you were really looking for transportation that was green, longer range that an Enertia 1.0 and sold by an American company (and I could get serviced where I live) this is a really good deal.

Again, it is not exactly a fair comparison from a sport motoring point of view, but if the main concern was cost effective green transportation, I'd really have to look at the Native.

So, as a hypothetical, for the Enertia 1.0, it would have to be a final cost to me around the $4,000 range (not including tax) to make it attractive.

Living in L.A., which is so spread out, having a better range than 35 to 45 miles is really a must for the bike to be used for recreation. If it was just for errands or to work and the like, then the limited range of the Enertia 1.0 could be OK. But if this was the main use, then I'd go with the Native scooter for less money and greater range. So the 1.0 would have to be close to the Native in price for me to choose it.

Here is an example. The Bob's Big Boy in Burbank that has the classic car night and were some Brammo riders appear (see my video about one Friday night there at the link below if you have not yet) is about a 40 mile round trip from my place in Santa Monica.



I have to go over the Sepulveda pass through the Santa Monica Mountains (not really a tall range but a pretty long rise). Fastest way is on the Freeway, but can't do 40 miles at full freeway speeds and rely on having enough juice to make it back. Also would really make it impossible to go someplace else if somebody said, "hey stop by my place and check out my new" whatever they just got or let somebody else test ride.

So, I'd be forced to do the street route, which is fine, and I would probably go the street route anyway just for safety, but still not certain that I could get there and back without a charge. In fact, considering the grade coming home which is steeper that the going there grade, I wouldn't feel comfortable at all making the trip. If I did, I'd have to try to find a plug while I'm over there which means hunting around and keeping the bike away from where all the action is going on, etc. Takes the fun out of going and wouldn't be able to show off the bike.

This is just one example of many that I can think of and why I did not get the Enertia 1.0. However, the Enertia Plus gives me just a bit more range to make a big difference in my possible excursions in the huge sprawled out area.

So, my price point tops out at around $4,000 for the first Enertia, which may not be realistic for Brammo, but that's OK because I'm willing to pay more for more range. And when I say I'm willing to pay more, I mean as long as there are incentives from the State and Feds. If they were not in place, I think I'd have to look at it again.