This article was taken from the April 2013 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by <span class="s1">subscribing online.
How do you sell an e-bike to a petrol-loving motocross racer? Simple: make sure it's a superior model. "If this wasn't going to be faster than petrol racebikes, then it wasn't worth building," says Marc Fenigstein of San Francisco motorcycle startup BRD.
Electric beats petrol-combustion engines for instant, full-throttle performance, but battery life and cost usually stand in the way.
Motocross, however, is all about rapid bursts over short ranges, so battery life is less of a concern. "This is the first mainstream format where electric is suddenly the fastest and highest-performance option," says Fenigstein.
The 33-year-old CEO joined fellow BRD cofounders Derek Dorresteyn and Jeff Sand -- both of whom have backgrounds in design and engineering -- in building a bike in their spare time, and fuelled operations with their own funds and a handful of angel investors. BRD's small team and startup structure works to its advantage: a beautiful, functional design and lower part-count is the result of having an R&D team of three -- larger competitors work across separate motor, chassis, design and engineering teams.
Now an eight-strong team, BRD aspires to be a dominant motorcycle company. "As the motorcycle world goes electric, that space is wide open," says Fenigstein. There's a hefty cost, of course: $14,995 (£9,500) in the US; European pricing when bikes land in late 2013 will likely be in line. But in a racing context Fenigstein insists you'll break even on pricing after 100 hours of use thanks to savings in maintenance (there is no oil to change or engines to rebuild).
Other benefits? There's no clutch, reducing injuries such as "forearm pump" and other strains associated with wrestling a petrol bike. BRD's RedShift SM model has beaten the combustion competition in time-trials, and riders finish with more energy. "The bike appeals to folks who bathe in gasoline -- who actively hate the environment," says Fenigstein. "You can be a climate-change <span class="s2">denier and still want our bike."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
