Another electric motorcycle manufacturer is set to disrupt the traditional world of internal combustion engine-powered motorcycle – Damon Motorcycles.
The Vancouver-based e-motorcycle company teased its first electric superbike in December.
Damon officially unveiled its motorcycle – aptly called the Hypersport, a name typically used to define the supercharged motorcycle category – this week at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
The claimed performance numbers are impressive:
- 200 mph top speed
- 0-60 mph under 3 seconds
- 200+ miles of range (highway + city)
- Level 2 Charging
- Charges to 80 percent in 20 minutes
- Under 500 pounds
- 147 ft/lbs of torque
The bike also features two rider-modes (sport and commuter). With this, the bike is not just marketed towards high-performance, but everyday commuting.
The other tech-forward feature is CoPilot, a 360-degree advanced warning system that warns the rider of dangers from “haptic feedback of the handlebars,” according to Damon, and cars that are close by through LEDs flashing on the windshield (think of the light on car’s mirror when a car is in the passing lane). CoPilot uses various sensors and an always-on 1080p rear-facing camera.
With all these attributes, the Hypersport won the CES Innovation Awards’ Best of Innovation.
The Hypersport is available in the HS version for $24,995 – about $10,000 cheaper than the Energica EVO superbike – and the Premier version.
The $40,000 Premier version is limited to 25 motorcycles, and updated with:
- Brembo Brakes
- Ohlins Suspension
- Single-sided carbon-fiber swingarm
- 2 x 1080p rear cameras
The Premier will be built through an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, along with further financial backing from various investors.
Damon Motorcycles CEO Jay Giraud told TechCrunch that the Hypersport isn’t on a mission to become the Tesla of e-motorcycles but definitely wants to capture the “ethos” of Tesla owners.
Other OEMs such as Zero Motorcycles, with its vast lineup, and Harley-Davidson with its LiveWire, along with Brammo, Alta Motors and Mission Motors, have helped create technology that is disrupting the traditional ICE-powered world.
Damon Motorcycles now brings another player into the market, and with a claimed top speed of 200 mph and a 200-mile range, the Hypersport is going to be the main disruptor in 2020 if those numbers hold true.
