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
