Tesla Co-founder Joins Board Of BRD Motorcycles

The market for electric cars is getting hot, but electric motorcycle sales seem to have even more potential. Just ask Martin Eberhard, the former co-founder and CEO of Tesla Motors, who has just announced his addition to the board of directors of San Francisco-based electric motorcycle maker BRD.

BRD opened shop in 2010 and has promised two electric motorcycles; the $14,995 MX dirt bike, and $15,995 SM street bike. BRD has thus far raised more than $1.8 million in funding for their bikes, which unlike other electric offerings tip the scale at less than 300 pounds. Eberhard was one of the pioneers of Tesla Motors but was pushed out by Elon Musk over production delays in 2007.

Eberhard, who served as chairman of Tesla from 2003 to 2007, successfully sued Tesla and has taken some of his money and experience to BRD. BRD has reportedly developed its own, “world class” battery in Eberhard’s words, and the lightweight power source will supposedly provide 50 miles of driving range.

Limited sales of the first 1,000 units are slated to begin sometime next year, and the market for electric motorcycles, especially in California, is a growing beast. Can BRD’s acquisition of a former Tesla hotshot help the company find the road to success?

 Source: Wired

BRD Motorcycles RedShift supermoto catches our eye, performance promise takes our breath

BRD Motorcycles RedShift SM – Click above for high-res image gallery

The expansion of the electric motorcycle universe is accelerating and the resultant RedShift is a brilliant supermoto from BRD Motorcycles. Beautiful with its two-piece aluminum monocoque chassis in natural and blue finish, and contrasted by an exposed battery pack in orange, the pre-production prototype of the street version was revealed last night at an unveiling at the Dainese D-Store in San Francisco.

While the negative space of the frame's form catches the eye, it's the numbers really make us catch our breath. The road-ready SM weighs in at a relatively light 250 lbs – the dual-sport MX is only 240 lbs – and with 40 horsepower waiting to be unleashed with a flick of the wrist, the power-to-weight ratio suggests performance capable of tackling its intended target: the traditional gas-powered machine. Indeed, "faster motorcycles" is the stated aim of this fledgling venture and the people behind it all have high-performance bikes in their respective garages.

Though it isn't ready to commit to a range figure until more testing is completed, the company suggests that the 5.2-kWh battery should be good for at least 50 miles on the street. If all goes according to plan, the BRD RedShift line will be manufactured in California and should be available sometime in 2012 through traditional motorcycle retailers. BRD plans on releasing more details at the 68th EICMA in Milan, Italy in November.



Source: Autoblog Green