RE:
“…. China and Toyota have devised a scheme to launch old car batteries to Venus and beyond, where the flotsam and jetsam will float aimlessly for generations or burn up upon entry to any number of planetary atmospheres…”

Zat-spost-a make batteries cheaper?
Lets hope some other extraterestrials don’t do it to us………

-nicker-

If “operation space junk” works, we could see a day when traces of OCC’s Seimans build-up lands in Uranus…

HA! I got you.

a million dollar electric is not the only one for sale, so that price tag should be conveniently left out. The other electric bikes are still way too expensive for many people, but you still haven’t acknowledged how are these companies supposed to further develop the bikes without selling early, viable commuting examples of them.

Someone can buy a $15k Brammo as a daily commuter with very practical results.

You “conveniently” did not reply to this:

“Todd8080 wrote: “Following the invention of the gas-powered motorcycle”

what exactly happened leading up to the point of “following the invention of the gas-powered motorcycle”?….

Loads of R&D, refinement, and the willingness of some people to buy early models.

Personally I’d love to see someone make a practical electric motorcycle, but that isn’t going to happen for quite a while, for reasons stated above.

Should people continue to develop electric motorcycles? Of course. But just don’t try to sell them to the public until you actually come up with a practical design. A million-dollar electric bike that can only go sixty miles before needing a five-hour recharge is pretty much the polar opposite of practical.

It goes 80mph with incredible torque!

George

what exactly happened leading up to that point?

It took some selling, backed up by loads of hours from ambitious & clever folks to go from the early days to the numbers you mentioned. In a hurry.

There are parallels to what is going on in the electric world. Good thing those people back then didn’t listen to similar comments like yours, “it’s utterly pointless to build, sell or buy an electric motorcycle”.

I’m not an electric “fan” at all* (no pun intended), but it seems “utterly pointless” to be a nay sayer when there are some very “bright” people working on this technology.

*the instant torque potential is about the only thing that captures my attention

“Your first post reads like you’re expecting an electric to perform right out of the gate on par with gas power.”

Performance isn’t the problem; modern electric motors produce ample power. The problem is fuel. Batteries are inefficient as a fuel source because they weigh several times what a tank of gasoline weighs, yet only power the vehicle for a very short distance. That’s fine for a ¼ mile drag bike, but not for a street bike.

Hoyt wrote:

“How do you expect the tech to develop? Using your comparison of old bikes: considering the owner involvement in the operation alone of those machines, it took severely intrigued (bordering on brave*) individuals to pay for those machines in the early days…
*roads were shit, tires, suspension non-existent, manually-operated oiling systems, brakes, etc. Compare all of that to a horse and you can bet those early bikes took some ‘selling’”

Took some selling? What history book did you read? Following the invention of the gas-powered motorcycle, the public went absolutely nuts buying them. By the ‘Teens there were no less than 150 companies manufacturing motorcycles in the U.S., and that’s a conservative number (some say as many as 300). Hell, you could buy a motorcycle right out of the Sears & Roebuck catalog.
Just look at how Harley’s production figures grew in their first decade, from one bike in 1903 to 12,904 in 1913. The MoCo went from two guys in a 10′ x 15′ shed to 480 workers in an 80,000 square foot factory in that same time frame.
Even on America’s turn-of-the-century dirt roads, a motorcycle could travel many times the distance a horse could, and provide a lot more fun doing it. You’d have to be crazy not to see the appeal in that.

home-grown fuel – yeah, man.

Algae-based fuel holds a lot of promise.
—————————————————————————————————————————————
I found your statement to be spot on after watching a documentary on algae based fuel.

At the early stages of producing algae fuel it equates out to eight dollars a gallon.

With further research the price will de-escalate.

We are thirsty people so how grand of a project would this be?

Good comment!

Over & Out,

Jeff

My comment is nothing about apples to oranges at all. Your first post reads like you’re expecting an electric to perform right out of the gate on par with gas power. None of the electric manufacturers are setting those expectations. If they did, they won’t be in business much longer. It is obvious to the seller and buyer of the range at the time of the sale.

Todd8080: “Until battery technology catches up to advances in electric motor development, it’s utterly pointless to build, sell or buy an electric motorcycle, especially one that costs a million dollars.”

How do you expect the tech to develop? Using your comparison of old bikes: considering the owner involvement in the operation alone of those machines, it took severely intrigued (bordering on brave*) individuals to pay for those machines in the early days…

*roads were shit, tires, suspension non-existent, manually-operated oiling systems, brakes, etc. Compare all of that to a horse and you can bet those early bikes took some “selling”

Call me old fashioned, but I’ll use good ole gas on my bike please.

like steve say motorcycle hotrod need to make some noise and pullution
that rock n roll

f.. the green

“Todd8080 -

How far do you think an early 1900’s motorcycle would have gone or how long would it have taken to cross the country in its early years of development? New tech takes time.”

Apples and oranges, Hoyt. All motorcycles of the early 1900s performed similarly. The 2009 Siemens/OCC bike couldn’t keep up with a 2009 50cc moped on a cross-country ride.

Until battery technology catches up to advances in electric motor development, it’s utterly pointless to build, sell or buy an electric motorcycle, especially one that costs a million dollars.

When the charge time versus ride time ratio is reversed (1:5 as opposed to 5:1), then electric motorcycles will be approaching the realm of practicality. Until then, experimenters should not try to market them as feasible alternatives to gasoline-powered motorcycles. It’s a disservice to the public.

On a different note, that’s an interesting edit to my first post, Cyril. I’m referring to the added last line.

When it stops just wind it up.

-nicker-

FUJI: You have a sick warped mind …. I like that!

Over & Out,

Jeff

Algae-based fuel holds a lot of promise.