Mission One: This Electric Motorcycle is the Target All Builders Will be Aiming For

There is much to discuss about the Mission One. This electric motorcycle is setting a very high mark for Performance, Styling, and Engineering. The best part is that they intend to run at the inaugural TTXGP.

Mission has all of the key ingredients to be a big player in the industry, and quite frankly they understand that they need to be the Tesla of the motorcycle world. I’m sure this has a lot to do with the former Tesla and Ducati NA people that are putting it all together.

Those who follow the EM scene have seen this machine since it was unveiled a couple of months ago. I’ve intended to write about it since then, but have not had a chance. I still don’t, but I want to leave you with a glimpse of what direction the electric motorcycle industry is going. This is where the future is:

www.RideMission.com

Time For A Revamp

I’ve been neglecting EnvironMoto.com for far too long. It hasn’t been for lack of worthy topics or a creative drought by any means.

More than anything it has been a lack of time. My personal ethics won’t let me put something out there for the world to see unless it is work that I feel is informative and gives my readers a lot of value for their time. The ideas are there, but the time to compose a decent article that is half-way worthy of my excellent readership hasn’t been.

So, I’m going to try a little different approach. I’m not going to try to set the world electric motorcycle coverage on its ear. There are some fantastic blogs (like AutoblogGreen and Gizmag) and forums (like ElectricMotorcycleForum) that are doing an excellent job of scooping the latest test rides, innovations, and technology.

Instead I’m going to focus on the aspects of electric motorcycles that are my first true loves within motorcycling to begin with: Design and Racing.

For those who don’t know, I’m a former art student and terrible amateur artist. Additionally, I am a motorcycle track day whore and a rabid motorcycle roadracing fan. This is in addition to my background as a mechanic and my current career as a mechanical engineer.

So, expect to see shorter articles that will go into detail on racing like the upcoming TTXGP, and the racier EM’s coming along like the Mission One. I am a staunch believer in the ‘mainstreaming’ of electric motorcycles and improvements that make them more viable for the street rider and modern motorcycle enthusiast. A good deal of my articles will continue to ask for more from the manufacturers in making designs that look incredible and deliver on real world performance. I firmly believe that deign for racing and performance inherently trickles down to amazing street equipment.

I am making a commitment to update the blog weekly at the very least. This content will range from detailed design evaluation to small comments and links leading to the best EM news or information on the web. I also intend to improve the appearance of the blog and make some tweaks over time to create a slicker and easier to digest format. I hope that you will stay tuned to EnvironMoto.com “Version 2.0” and come back for more.

Thanks,
Chris

The Art of Electric Motorcycle Design

“If it looks right, it will fly right”: This is a long standing adage in the aircraft industry that describes the physical appearance of an aircraft as a determinant of its flight capability. Whether or not it’s ever officially admitted, military contracts for airplanes have been won and lost based upon this perception of design for decades.

Motorcycles and automobiles are not unaffected by the ramifications of styling perception. The only exception to this natural law of vehicle sales is if the vehicle can be bought cheaply enough. A modern precedent is the Pontiac Aztec. Pontiac dealers were selling this car for years after it had been out of production. Hideous? Yes. But after heavy discounts and incentives, they eventually started looking pretty good to those in need of transportation for minimal cash.

Admittedly, motorcycles may be less affected by this phenomenon since variety is more the norm and cost is less of a factor, but it does happen. A recent example is the Pierre Terblanche designed Ducati 999. There was no question about the bike’s pedigree or engineering, but the styling was, and still is, very controversial.

Currently in the electric motorcycle world, there are a handful of machines that have the potential for aesthetic mass appeal: Flying right, via looking right. But do they have a high enough level of design that will change perceptions and sell electric motorcycles regardless of performance or cost?

Rapidly evolving technology leaves little room for styling priority, nor does it allow for appealing pricing. It’s not that manufacturers and home builders are disregarding style. After all, this is a new type of vehicle and it’s not subject to the conventions we associate with a typical internal combustion powered motorcycle. The manufacturers are definitely developing distinctive styles. Unfortunately distinctive style does not always translate into world-beating style.

For an electric motorcycle to go to the next level, to become a must-have product that will displace one’s desire for a gasoline fueled bike, it’s going to have to deliver more than great power or range of operation. It will have to look incredible and create neuron exploding lust in the minds of enthusiasts.

This is the next step in taking ever-improving performance to mass recognition. Whoever introduces a design that blows minds and lands on the cover of a major enthusiast magazine will have truly shaken up the motorcycle world.

In truth, if it looks right to enthusiasts, it will fly right off the showroom floor.

Lead image is a screen shot from Motorepublic. A motorcycle design studio based in Sweden specializing in motorcycle design concepts. Link: www.motorepublic.com