The electric motorcycle industry has had very many failures and concerns. At the same time, the American motorcycle market is largely contracted. If you look at the underlying factors in the industry, you'd agree with me if I said that this does not appear to be an appropriate atmosphere in which to launch a motorcycle.
However, this has not stopped Tarform from unveiling one of this motorcycles. The new startup was able to unveil its first vehicle last month in Brooklyn.
Many have already started predicting that the company will have an uphill challenge selling its high-end, higher-priced e-motos. The two prototypes of the e-motorcycles were unveiled at Brooklyn's NewLab. The two models are Café and Scrambler.
Techcrunch reported that e-motors weigh 295 and 320 pounds they're capable of bringing 7 kilowatt-hours (KwH) Lithium-ION batteries, 43 horsepower, a top speed of 93 miles per hour, and 92-mile city riding ranges.
Following the debut, the New York and Stockholm based startup will now move into the testing phase and take orders for its first production electric two-wheelers. The manufacture date is set to be in late 2019.
Tarfom is determined to bring in a new taste constituting of fresh design aesthetic so that it can achieve scale and profitability to the world of motorcycles.
According to the startup, it's mission is to "to set a new standard for two-wheeled transport by developing fully electric, zero-emission premium motorcycles, using sustainable materials and smart connectivity."
During the prototype debut, the company has managed to do more than just sourcing parts and slap batteries into motorcycle frames. "In order to distill the form to only the essentials, we were challenged to redesign every component," said CEO and founder Taras Kravtchouk.
The motorcycles were custom engineered to a large portion of the Café and Scrambler prototype parts. The motorcycles also have a custom sound that is produced by a transducer that is located inside the tank.
The startup intends to shift towards getting more proprietary features. This will include a digital power delivery system with AI functions. However, most of the important stuff such as the battery, suspension, and current power regulation system are sourced.
"We're talking to a company in Sweden to do a custom vehicle control unit to integrate Bluetooth connectivity [and ultrasonic proximity sensors]," Kravtchouk told TechCrunch. "You'll be able to sync your ride to an app...and get inputs on your riding behavior...to become a better rider."
The startup will offer two variants of its production motorcycles. The first version will be a 9kWh, 53 horsepower, 350-pound two-wheeler with a 95 mile per hour top speed and a 129-mile range. However, there's also a larger 13.5 kWh battery, 80 horsepower, the 395-pound model will be good for 168 miles.
The charging time will be 3.5 hours to 80 percent and 8 hours to full power using a standard electrical outlet. Tarfom revealed that the fast charger option will charge the bike to 80 percent in less than an hours' time.
The price for the pre-order option is set to be at $18,000. This is on the higher end compared to the $8K for an entry level FX from Zero. Remember that Zero is America's highest selling e-motorcycle manufacturer. The startup intends to balance design and performance in its quest to attract buyers.
