The Electric Motorcycle

The Ashland, Oregon-based manufacturer—the same collection of motorheads responsible for bringing the road-rocket Ariel Atom to U.S. shores—have decided to confront the global-warming frenzy with an actual product.

A fun and efficient product. One that makes the similarly two-wheeled and battery-powered Segway look like an environmental pocket protector. It's called the Enertia, an electric motorcycle so slick it couldn't be cooler if it were frozen.

On the green front, according to Brammo, this urban transportation tool can reduce a commuter's carbon footprint by 92 percent. But you'd have to get out of that fossil-powered sled and commute every day on the Enertia to see that large of a reduction. But depending on where you live, any reduction to environmental impact couldn't be easier, with perhaps the friendliest motorcycle yet.

The Enertia's appeal should spread widely since it lacks many of the traits that traditionally steer people away from a two-wheeled, mechanized ride. It requires no gas or oil, and thus smells like neither. It is nearly silent, has no exhaust and doesn't get hot. It has no clutch or gearbox. It is light and narrow, and practically maintenance-free. If you'd consider riding a bicycle to work or school, you'll have no issues wrapping your head around this transport option.

Designing the Enertia
To create the Enertia, Brammo harnessed its enthusiast heart and material-science expertise to a global sensibility. By approaching carbon emissions from the perspective of true driving enthusiasts, the goal was to provide a practical product that hits on multiple levels: environmentally sound, sharply engineered, cutting-edge materials, fun to own and look at.

The Enertia is a clean-sheet design, conceived from day-one as a two-wheeled, zero-emission, fully electric conveyance (it is not a "hybrid"). Its central structure is a carbon fiber monocoque, which serves as both the motorcycle's chassis and its battery tray. Machined 6061-T6 aluminum bits for the bike's threaded hard-points (footpegs, swingarm, etc.), are bonded to the carbon fiber structure—a race-bred building technique. Though exceptionally stiff, the entire chassis weighs a mere 16 pounds.