The Saietta, A Zero Emissions Electric Urban Motorcycle Perfect For Commuting.

Saietta represents the first meaningful redesign in motorcycling in a generation. Its unparalleled handling and revolutionary styling have set the benchmark for performance and design across the industry. Available in three core colors (red, black and white) or 8 optional colors (including the chrome), the electric motorbike has had glowing reviews and awards. The all-day-long range, unmatched handling and impressive power are all that you could ask of an electric vehicle.



The Saietta, built by Agility Global, Ltd. in London, is the world's first production composite monocoque chassis (like a Formula 1 car) in a motorcycle. The Agility battery envelope is the structure of the motorcycle - minimizing weight, increasing strength and combining to give you, the rider, the most direct and tactile control possible.

The Saietta S



Distinctive and desirable, Saietta S is the next generation of electric urban motorcycle. The light weight provides lithe maneuverability. Fun, fast and sporty, Saietta S is a high profile way to get around town.



The Saietta S acceleration is lightning fast, from 0-60 mph in 5.5 seconds. Its total weight of 135 kg means you can whip the bike around town, faster than any other mode of urban transport. 50 miles range with 46 peak horsepower makes for easy riding, and at 20 pence for 50 miles, you will never notice the cost of riding.



Optimised through intelligent design and ground-breaking engineering to invoke a near-perfect user relationship, Saietta's exceptional maneuverability and instinctive ergonomics expand your riding abilities and heightens the senses.



New Recyclable flax body panels


The Saietta's sustainable design features including body panels made using flax fibres. With additional deflector panels made using a range of bio-composite materials including hemp, kenaf, jute and cellulose.



Given the new type of body panels, Saietta is even more sustainable than ever. With a powerful electric drive train and upwards of 85% recyclable parts, when and if Saietta ever comes to an end of its useful life, the parts can definitely be reused and recycled:


Saietta R
Muscular and aggressive, Saietta R is our flagship, next generation electric urban sport motorcycle. With huge, low-down power and understated cool, getting on is like riding a relentless wave of torque through the city.



The Saietta R acceleration is beyond fast, from 0-60 mph in 4 seconds. With exceptional emphasis on concentrating its masses in the most compact overall package and shortest possible wheelbase, the Saietta R has a cocktail of power and razor sharp handling which intoxicates. 112 miles range including a 12 mile reserve, and 120 Nm of torque, the R model is a fast, aggressive ride, and at 45 pence for 100 miles, you will never notice the cost of riding.



Optimised through intelligent design and ground-breaking engineering to invoke a near-perfect user relationship, Saietta's exceptional manoeuvrability and instinctive ergonomics expand your riding abilities and heightens the senses.

Features:
The Agility battery envelope IS the structure of the motorcycle - minimising weight, increasing strength and combining to give you, the rider, the most direct and tactile control possible.

Next Generation Drive-train: harnessing the efficiency of Agility's "Drive-Torque Geometry Control" integrated transmission and Ultra-High Torque Axial Flux Electric Motor. Seamlessly smooth, extremely powerful, and instantly responsive. Regen capable: able to recover energy during deceleration.


Advanced "Wide-Base Variable-Geometry"™ Unequal Length Front Double-Wishbone suspension for extreme steering and suspension control throughout the performance envelope.


Unique Agility "Instinct Steering Geometry"™ for intuitive feel and superlative handling from walking pace up through to blisteringly fast.


Ground-breaking "Drive-Torque Geometry Control" integrated transmission and suspension system for optimised suspension control during aggressive acceleration, giving maximum corner-exit traction, and greater stability when accelerating and breaking.


For complete technical specs, to book a test drive or purchase a Saietta, visit their site here.

The BMW Motorrad E-Scooter With Electric Drive Is One Cool Commuter Concept Vehicle.

In an effort to design more innovative alternatives for the increasing population of commuters, BMW has designed an all electric, but powerful scooter, that seats two. The future-oriented concept vehicle has a battery that can be charged in less than three hours in a common household outlet.



The concept vehicle had two main requirements for its development: dynamic figures comparable to those of a maxi scooter with a combustion engine and a high range in realistic conditions of use. And here's the result: The BMW Motorrad Concept Vehicle BMW E-Scooter.



The press release, July 1,2011:
BMW Motorrad Innovation Day 2011.

Innovative development study with electric drive.
Space is becoming increasingly scarce in the major conurbation centres and traffic density is growing continuously. Political and social conditions are changing. All these factors coalesce in increasing demands in terms of private transportation. The concept vehicle BMW E-Scooter with electric drive provides an innovative look at changing urban mobility needs.



While the currently available, purely electrically-powered scooters have been almost exclusively used inside towns and cities to date due to their performance and range, which makes them suitable for short distances only, the concept vehicle BMW E-Scooter offers a much broader spectrum of use.

High range and excellent performance figures.
Since it was conceived as a future-oriented vehicle for commuting between urban areas and the city centre, therefore attracting funding from the German Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development, there were two main requirements for its development: dynamic figures comparable to those of a maxi scooter with a combustion engine and a high range in realistic conditions of use.



The concept vehicle BMW E-Scooter provides the necessary sustained output and maximum speed for safe and reliable overtaking on urban motorways and also when carrying two people. It is also easily capable of managing hill starts on steep slopes with a pillion passenger.



The development study also has the necessary maximum output to be able to achieve acceleration figures within the important 0 - 60 km/h range, which are at the level of current maxi scooters powered by a 600 cc combustion engine.

The high storage capacity of the battery allows a daily driving range of over 100 kilometres. In this way, the BMW E-Scooter concept vehicle provides a long-term, zero-emissions urban and suburban travel option which is suitable for everyday use.



Fast charging at conventional power sockets.
The E-Scooter concept vehicle's battery is charged at regular household power sockets as found in Europe, the USA, Canada and Japan, so no special charging station is required. When the battery is completely flat, the charging period is less than three hours. However, practical experience has shown that the battery rarely runs out completely, so charging times are generally shorter.

Frame.
Unlike existing maxi scooters with combustion engines, the concept vehicle does not have a main frame. Instead, the aluminium battery casing - which also contains the electronic system required for battery cell monitoring -takes over the function of the frame. The steering head support is connected to it, as is the rear frame and the left-hand mounted single swing arm with directly hinged, horizontally installed shock absorber.



Electric machine, power electronics and charging device.
Due to its high output, the BMW Motorrad development study has no hub motor with direct drive or planetary gearbox. Instead, the high-performance electric machine is mounted behind the battery casing. The secondary drive consists of a toothed belt from the electric machine to the belt pulley mounted coaxially on the swinging fork pivot with drive pinion. From here, power transmission occurs via roller chain to the rear wheel. When the E-Scooter is decelerated in trailing throttle or when braking, the energy released is recuperated, thereby increasing the vehicle's range by between 10 and 20 per cent depending on driving profile.



The electrical components required for the electric drive are installed on the top of the battery casing. The external battery electronics system permanently collects and monitors data such as the temperature and voltage of the battery cells, both during travel and while charging. The power electronics acts as a control system and controls the electric machine. The charging device includes a charge cable which allows the battery to be recharged at a conventional household power socket. In addition to the other components like an ISO insulation monitor, high-voltage indicator and a high-voltage distributor, a DC-DC converter is included. It is required to change high voltage to low voltage power to supply the 12 volt vehicle supply and especially for the control units.

Cooling system.
During travel, the electric machine and power electronics are liquid-cooled, as is the charging device during charging. An electric coolant pump ensures coolant circulation through the radiator. While a coolant is commonly used for the battery in electrically powered cars, the E-Scooter concept vehicle uses an air cooling system in order to save space.

Safety.
BMW Motorrad is one of the very few motorcycle manufacturers to be able to draw on its own experience and expertise in the automobile field in the development of electrically powered vehicles. Synergies are derived from the development of the BMW E-Scooter concept vehicle not just in the ready availability of technical components but also in the area of high voltage engineering and the associated safety requirements. Here for the first time, standards established by the leading automobile manufacturers relating to high voltage safety (> 60 volt) and functional reliability are being applied to a two-wheel vehicle with electric drive.


click on the above image to enlarge

[Source: BMW] and images courtesy of Autoblog.

It's Fast. It's Furious. It's Earth Friendly. The New Mission One EV Sport Bike.

This past Wednesday, Feb 4th, Mission One's EV Sport Bike, the world's fastest electric motorcycle, designed in conjunction with Yves Behar and his Fuse Project, was unveiled at the TED 2009 Conference. It's mean, it's green and I wish I had the 70k to buy one.


above: designer Yves Behar

Forrest North of Mission Motors and his two co-founders, Edward West and Mason Cabot, have assembled a real dream team with incredible depth and experience and whose resumés list companies like Tesla Motors, Ducati and Google. The first 50 bikes produced will be a special Limited Edition model delivered in 2010 with a $68,995 price tag, while a standard, more affordable Mission One model will be announced this summer.





The Batteries:
Mission motorcycles use the most energy dense lithium-ion batteries available on the market. That makes them different from most other electric vehicle companies. Most vehicle manufacturers opt for lower energy cells that are simpler to manage, but result in vehicles with limited performance and limited range. The high-energy lithium-ion cells in a Mission Motorcycle get the 150 miles of range that riders expect when on a sport bike. And their patented battery cooling and management technologies allow the bikes to safely draw more power from these cells, giving them the acceleration of a race bike.



The Electric Motor:
Mission motorcycles' induction motor provides over 100 foot-pounds of torque. Unlike an engine, however, the torque curve on their electric is completely flat. The rider feels 100 foot-pounds of torque at a standstill, at 60 mph, and everywhere in between. Gasoline motorcycle require multiple gears in order to provide power at different speeds. The torque curve on our electric motor means that a Mission motorcycle can achieve gasoline sport bike performance with no gears. And all that power comes in a package about the size of a soccer ball.



Wireless Technology:
On a Mission Motorcycle, the on board computer does more than run the bike. It comes fully equipped with data acquisition system and wireless communication capabilities. On a Mission Motorcycle, riders can capture ride data in real time and wirelessly download that data to a computer to share with friends. Gone are the days of tuning your engine with a wrench, you tune your ride in minutes with your laptop computer.



Top Line Components
We have complimented our groundbreaking powertrain with the best components money can buy. The Mission One is a superbike in all aspects of the word. The 2010 model comes equipped with: Ohlins inverted front forks, 43mm TiN coated tubes, Ohlins fully adjustable shock, Brembo 4 piston monobloc calipers, Marchesini wheels, and race compound tires.

Regenerative Braking
The Mission One recaptures the kinetic energy of the motorcycle during braking and turns it into electrical energy stored in the batteries. By recapturing energy, the Mission One goes further on a single charge. The Mission One also allows riders to tune their regenerative braking to fit with their riding style.

Recharge Anywhere
The Mission One's onboard charger allows riders to recharge from any standard wall socket. Recharging from empty to full takes 2.5 hours off of a 220V outlet (8 hours off of a 110V). In California, which has the 11th highest electricity prices in the US, "filling up" your bike only costs you $1.96.

Real Time Data Acquisition
The Mission One's data acquisition feature allows riders to capture ride data in real time. Riders can record ride data, such as speed, location, or lean angle; or bike data, such as motor current, battery voltage, or efficiency. Riders can take that data to their computer to analyze their performance, brag to other riders, or prepare for their next ride.


SPECS:


P O W E R T R A I N
Battery Pack High Energy Lithium-Ion with Integrated Safety
Motor Liquid-cooled, 3 phase AC Induction
Torque 100 lb-ft @ Zero RPM
Transmission Single speed, #525 O-ring chain
C H A S S I S
Front Suspension Ohlins, 43mm inverted fork, fully adjustable
Rear Suspension Ohlins, single schock w/piggyback reservoir
Front Brakes Brembo forged 4 piston calipers.
Rear Brakes Brembo, 220mm disc; single-piston caliper
Wheels/Tires/Front Marchesini forged Al 3.5"x17", 120/70Z
Wheels/Tires/Rear Marchesini forged Al 6.0"x17", 190/55

T A R G E T P E R F O R M A N C E
Top speed 150mph
Range 150 miles per charge (Est. under EPA drive cycle)
Recharge Under 2 hours @ 240V (8 hours @ 120V)
Features: Adjustable regenerative braking,
Intuitive/adjustable data acquisition system

PRESS RELEASE

America's Newest Motorcycle Company, Mission Motors, Launches at TED2009
Mission One, World's Fastest Production Electric Sportbike
Design by Yves Béhar & fuseproject

LONG BEACH, CA - February 4, 2009 –Today, Mission Motors unveils a revolutionary vehicle, the Mission One, the world's fastest production all-electric motorcycle, at TED2009. Mission Motors CEO, Forrest North, along with lead designer Yves Béhar, founder of fuseproject, will present the vehicle in development onstage to the TED audience on February 4. Mission Motors will exhibit the vehicle throughout the conference at the Kohler LivingHome at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center, and will be on hand to discuss the company's vision for a radically new brand of motorcycles. The company will also provide attendees the opportunity to see inside the product development process through the installation of a motorcycle design studio inside the Kohler LivingHome.

"The Great Unveiling," the TED2009 theme, makes a fitting platform for the launch of Mission Motors' first vehicle, the Mission One. It is the first production electric sportbike that features uncompromised performance and an iconic new design created by world-renowned designers Yves Béhar and fuseproject. With a top speed of 150 MPH and an estimated range of 150 miles, the Mission One rivals gasoline sportbikes while dwarfing the performance of any other electric motorcycle on the market. The electric drivetrain creates a riding experience unlike anything currently available on a production vehicle. The electric motor's linear torque curve provides peak torque at zero rpm, a feature gasoline engines cannot match. The motor delivers faster acceleration than most gasoline sportbikes without ever having to shift gears.

The announcement formally debuts Mission Motors, a San Francisco-based company geared to redefine the world of performance motorcycles, which was founded in 2007 by entrepreneurs Forrest North (CEO), Edward West (President), and Mason Cabot (VP of Engineering).

Building on their backgrounds in engineering, a desire to develop clean vehicles, and a passion for motorcycles, the Mission Motors founders developed a proprietary high energy lithium ion battery pack that could provide both the range and acceleration needed for a high performance sportbike. The company (named Hum Cycles at the time) placed second in the transportation category of the 2007 California Cleantech Open, the largest cleantech business plan competition on the West Coast.

"As a motorcycle enthusiast and engineer I knew I could combine my passion for motorcycles with my passion for innovation and create a motorcycle that truly sets a new standard in the perception of electric vehicles," said Forrest North, Founder and CEO, Mission Motors. "With the Mission One, we're writing the next chapter in motorcycle design, delivering a new riding experience without sacrificing performance or design in a zero emissions vehicle."

With core engineering underway and an attractive business model, North and his co-founders turned to Yves Béhar's fuseproject to create Mission's unique brand and creative direction, as well as an iconic industrial design for the first product. The engineering team at Mission Motors and the design team at fuseproject worked in close collaboration to design the Mission One from the ground up, creating a machine that makes a bold statement about performance, technology, sustainability and design.

"This project was a dream come true: a statement about how design can make performance and sustainability come together without compromise," said Yves Béhar. "I believe Mission is an icon for a new era of efficient and exciting vehicles. Designed to express speed and efficiency in it's overall sharp lines, the Mission bike is also highly detailed with special attention to a riders needs, bringing a high level of product design and ergonomics to a new generation of performance transportation."

About Mission Motors:
Mission Motors is building the fastest production electric motorcycle in the world. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, the company combines innovative technology, iconic design, and superb performance with the freedom of a zero emissions riding experience. Mission's elite team of engineers is creating the first motorcycle company built on the innovative spirit of the Silicon Valley. The concept is simple: Redefine the world of performance motorcycles.

For more information on Mission Motors, visit www.ridemission.com.


special thanks to Mission Motors, Autoblog Green and Yves Behar for info and images.

Tomorrow's Transportation Today: The Uno by Ben Gulak

It has zero emissions, a simple on off switch, one wheel (okay, two wheels but they are really close together) and killer looks. And, it was invented by an 18 year old from Ontario.


The Uno by Ben Gulak. Tomorrow's Transportation Today.
Cost to Develop: $45,000
Time: 2 years



The inspiration for the cycle came when 18 year old Ben Gulak visited China in 2006 and was amazed at the overwhelming pollution that completely blocked the view of the surrounding country as his airplane came in for landing. He realized that much of that smog was coming from the thousands of motor scooters whizzing through the streets and figured that there had to be a better way.


Above: Ben Gulak, an incoming member of the MIT Class of 2012, rides the 'Uno'--a scooter-like vehicle he invented that was named the top invention of the year by Popular Science. Photo courtesy / Glenn Roberts, Motorcycle Mojo Magazine

The design he came up with has two wheels mounted side by side, very close together, and powered by electric motors. A computerized control system keeps the vehicle balanced, in a system similar to the Segway personal transporter. But unlike that vehicle, which is ridden in a standing position and is not considered a street vehicle, Gulak's "Uno" is ridden like a motorcycle and designed for ordinary roads.




Operating the Uno is so simple that it requires no controls at all. There is only an on-off switch. Once it's on, the driver accelerates by leaning forward, stops by leaning back, and steers by leaning to the side. By sitting upright, the driver can balance in one spot.




Above: inventor Ben Gulak with his Uno.

Gulak put off college for a year (now 19, he enrolls at MIT this fall) and began building the Uno at a motorcycle shop outside Toronto. He modified the frame from a Yamaha R1, which is wider than most motorcycles, so it can house the side-by-side wheels.


Above: Ben Gulak sits on his self-balancing electric “unicycle” in its early stages outside his home near Toronto. Photo by John B. Carnett

But he quickly realized that he was out of his depth in the electronics department: He would ride the Uno for a few seconds, and the circuitry would catch fire. So he contacted Trevor Blackwell, a robotics engineer who specializes in self-balancing software. With Blackwell’s help, Gulak equipped the Uno with a gyroscope and a control system that both keeps the rider balanced over the tires and manages the suspension.

The Uno’s two wheelchair motors should, theoretically, give it a top speed of 40 mph, but for safety’s sake, Gulak hasn’t taken it above 15 mph yet. “The only way to figure out if an alteration works is to jump on and ride the thing,” he says. “I’m pretty sure I chipped my kneecap in one crash.”

Gulak’s next task is reworking the suspension to handle more drastic leans, but he says he may need some help writing the code that keeps the Uno balanced at faster speeds. “The fundamental tech is figured out,” he says. “It just needs the right people to tweak it.”



Above: testing out the cool new green transportation


above: Inventor Ben Gulak, of Milton, Ontario

Thanks to Popular Science, Motorcycle Mojo magazine and MIT news for images and info

Want to invest in it?
Contact info:
BPG-Technologies
ben.gulak@hotmail.com
Phone - 416 727 4794