Brammo, Inc. was an American producer of electric traction motors and traction batteries based in
Talent, Oregon, United States. Brammo also developed and sold a range of electric motorcycles via the company's website and motorcycle dealers throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia.
On January 15, 2015,
Polaris Industries
Polaris Inc. is an American automotive manufacturer of Polaris RZR, RZR, motorcycles, snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, and neighborhood electric vehicles headquartered in Medina, Minnesota, United States. Polaris was founded in Roseau, Minneso ...
announced that it had purchased the entire electric motorcycle business from Brammo. Production of an electric motorcycle, the rebadged Victory Empulse, commenced at Polaris' factory in Spirit Lake, IA during the second half of 2015.
It was announced on October 16, 2017 that Brammo's remaining assets would be acquired by
Cummins
Cummins Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and distributes engines, filtration, and power generation products. Cummins also services engines and related equipment, including fuel systems, controls, air ...
, with the deal expected to close by the end of the year.
History
Brammo Motorsports began in
Craig Bramscher
Brammo, Inc. was an American producer of electric traction motors and traction batteries based in Talent, Oregon, United States. Brammo also developed and sold a range of electric motorcycles via the company's website and motorcycle dealers throu ...
's garage after he visited several
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...
and
Lamborghini
Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. () is an Italian brand and manufacturer of luxury sports cars and SUVs based in Sant'Agata Bolognese. The company is owned by the Volkswagen Group through its subsidiary Audi.
Ferruccio Lamborghini (1916–1993) ...
dealerships in
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood, ...
and
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, looking for a
supercar
A supercar – also called exotic car – is a loosely defined description of street-legal, high-performance sports cars. Since the 2010s, the term hypercar has come into use for the highest performing supercars. Supercars commonly serve as t ...
that he could comfortably sit in. Bramscher, who was a football player at his high school,
Shawnee Mission South
Shawnee Mission South High School is a high school located in Overland Park, Kansas, United States, serving students in grades 9-12. The school is one of several public high schools located within Shawnee Mission and operated by Shawnee Mission ...
, is tall but has described himself as "long-waisted, so I sit like I'm tall." Bramscher set out to design and build a car comparable to the
McLaren
McLaren Racing Limited is a British motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor, the second oldest active team, and the second most successful Formul ...
Formula 1 car, but which would comfortably accommodate a tall person weighing . On September 4, 2002, he registered the name "Brammo Motorsports" with the state of Oregon.
[Business Name Registry # 101335-93, Oregon Secretary of State.>]
Brammo began importing the
Ultima Can Am in an attempt to understand at a basic level the components, tools, and processes needed to manufacture a complete vehicle. The company continued to import the cars from Ultima in component form, assemble them, and sell them to customers. Customers were offered "build journals," which enabled them to watch their vehicle being built in near real-time online.
2004–2008
Enertia GT
The Enertia GT was a car planned for production, intended to be powered by a
naturally aspirated
Naturally may refer to:
;Albums
* ''Naturally!'', an album by Nat Adderley
* ''Naturally'' (Houston Person album)
* ''Naturally'' (J. J. Cale album)
* ''Naturally'' (John Pizzarelli album)
* ''Naturally'' (Sharon Jones album)
* ''Naturally'' ...
Falconer V12 engine
A V12 engine is a twelve-cylinder piston engine where two banks of six cylinders are arranged in a V configuration around a common crankshaft. V12 engines are more common than V10 engines. However, they are less common than V8 engines.
The fi ...
. However, it has since been announced that the project has shifted to making the GT a
battery electric vehicle
A battery electric vehicle (BEV), pure electric vehicle, only-electric vehicle, fully electric vehicle or all-electric vehicle is a type of electric vehicle (EV) that exclusively uses chemical energy stored in rechargeable battery packs, wi ...
to compete with the
Tesla Roadster (2008)
The Tesla Roadster is a battery electric vehicle (BEV) sports car, based on the Lotus Elise chassis, that was produced by the electric car firm Tesla Motors (now Tesla, Inc.) in California from 2008 to 2012. The Roadster was the first highway ...
.
Pro GT and Rogue GT
Brammo applied for a trademark of "Pro GT" in April 2004. Brammo finalized the design for the Brammo Motorsports Pro GT and hired Brian Wismann as the lead designer prior to building the prototype. The Pro GT prototype had a
V12 engine
A V12 engine is a twelve-cylinder piston engine where two banks of six cylinders are arranged in a V configuration around a common crankshaft. V12 engines are more common than V10 engines. However, they are less common than V8 engines.
The fi ...
producing . Brammo commissioned a six-speed
transverse synchro-mesh gearbox with Xtrac, Inc., of
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...
, England. They also built a custom Falconer V12 engine.
Brammo changed the name of the Pro GT to the Rogue GT. They also imported some
Gardner Douglas
Gardner Douglas is a British low volume sports car manufacturer, based in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England. Their models include replicas of the AC Cobra and the Lola T70.
History and development
Just 26 MkIII 289 Cobras were made before AC colla ...
T70s, but demand for the vehicle was not sufficient. In 2006, Brammo executed an assignment of its interest in the trademark "Rogue" to
Nissan Motors
, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the Nissan, Infiniti, and Datsun brands, ...
,
which introduced the
Nissan Rogue
The Nissan Rogue is a compact crossover SUV produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Nissan. It made its debut in October 2007 for the 2008 model year. Beginning in 2013 for the 2014 model year, the model has been paralleled with the X- ...
, a
compact
Compact as used in politics may refer broadly to a pact or treaty; in more specific cases it may refer to:
* Interstate compact
* Blood compact, an ancient ritual of the Philippines
* Compact government, a type of colonial rule utilized in British ...
crossover SUV
A crossover, crossover SUV, or crossover utility vehicle (CUV) is a type of automobile with an increased ride height that is built on unibody chassis construction shared with passenger cars, as opposed to traditional sport utility vehicles (S ...
in October 2007.
Ariel Atom
![Carbon wings](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Carbon_wings.jpg)
In early 2005, Brammo purchased a license to produce the
Ariel Atom
The Ariel Atom is a road-legal high performance open-wheel car made by the British Ariel Motor Company based in Crewkerne, Somerset, England, and under license in North America by TMI Autotech, Inc. at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, ...
, an exo-skeletal vehicle designed by Nik Smart while he was a transport design student at
Coventry University
, mottoeng = By Art and Industry
, established =
, type = Public
, endowment = £28 million (2015)
, budget = £787.5 million
, chancellor = Margaret Casely-Hayford
, vice_chancellor = John Latham
, students = ()
, undergr ...
. Brammo's license allowed the company to produce the vehicle for the North American market only. After it secured the license from
Ariel
Ariel may refer to:
Film and television
*Ariel Award, a Mexican Academy of Film award
* ''Ariel'' (film), a 1988 Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki
* ''ARIEL Visual'' and ''ARIEL Deluxe'', 1989 and 1991 anime video series based on the novel series ...
CEO Simon Saunders, Brammo reverse-engineered the vehicle, making several improvements along the way, and began production. The company could not secure the Honda engines which were installed in the UK versions of the car, so it approached GM and was able to obtain the supercharged GM
Ecotec Ecotec (capitalized ECOTEC, from 'Emissions Control Optimization TEChnology') is a General Motors (GM) and Opel Automobile GmbH (Opel) trademark that refers to a series of emissions technologies that were implemented throughout a range of GM engines ...
engine, although a limited run of ten of the Atoms came equipped with Honda K20A engines. The company sold just over 130 of the cars during a 20 month period. Jay Leno bought one of them and wrote an extensive review of it for ''Popular Mechanics''.
Enertia Powercycle and Brammo, Inc.
![EVS23 Enertia in Santamonica 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/EVS23_Enertia_in_Santamonica_1.jpg)
Brammo's experience with building supercars, coupled with its research of electric drivetrains and then-current battery technology led to the belief that with the power-to-weight ratio and energy density of lithium batteries, an EV was possible, but that the vehicle's weight was a crucial concern. The decision was made to produce a lighter motorcycle.
Brammo focused on designing and building the Enertia powercycle prototype. After completing the prototype, the company met with investors and determined that Brammo Motorsports needed to become Brammo, Inc., and that it would thereafter focus fully on electric vehicles. The name "Brammo, Inc." was registered in August 2008.
In September 2008, Brammo raised a $10 million round from Best Buy, Venture Capital, Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital, and others.
2009
Best Buy sales agreement
In February 2009, Brammo announced that the Enertia would be sold at
Best Buy
Best Buy Co. Inc. is an American multinational consumer electronics retailer headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota. Originally founded by Richard M. Schulze and James Wheeler in 1966 as an audio specialty store called Sound of Music, it was rebra ...
stores on the West Coast, with a gradual roll-out to the electronic retailer's stores nationwide. Bramscher said, "what we're selling is a lot closer to consumer electronics than to transportation." He indicated that basic repairs and maintenance would be carried out by the
Geek Squad
Geek Squad Inc. is a subsidiary of American and Canadian multinational consumer electronics corporation Best Buy, headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota. The subsidiary was originally an independent company founded by "Chief Inspector" Robert Step ...
crew while more intensive work would be performed at various service centers around the country. The Enertia began selling at select Best Buy locations in August 2009.
TTXGP
![Ttxgp bikes isle of man tt 2009](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Ttxgp_bikes_isle_of_man_tt_2009.jpg)
In June 2009, Brammo entered two modified Enertia motorcycles in the
Time Trial Xtreme Grand Prix (TTXGP), a motorcycle race billed as "the world's first zero-emissions superbike event." The race took place on June 12, 2009, on the
Isle of Man
)
, anthem = "O Land of Our Birth"
, image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg
, image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg
, mapsize =
, map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe
, map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green)
in Europe ...
's
Snaefell Mountain Course
The Isle of Man TT Mountain Course or ''TT Course'' is a street and public rural road circuit located in the Isle of Man, used for motorcycle racing. The motorcycle ''TT Course'' is used principally for the Isle of Man TT Races and also the sep ...
. Brammo's #26 bike, a model it called the TTR, finished in third place during the final race. Scottish rider Mark Buckley finished with a time of 30 minutes, 2.64 seconds, an average speed of , and reached a top speed of .
2010
Empulse electric motorcycle
![Empulse](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Empulse.jpg)
In 2010, Brammo announced the Empulse Trio line of water-cooled electric motorcycles, with models 6.0, 8.0, and 10.0 offering an average range of 60, 80 or 100 miles respectively. Top speed is in excess of 100 miles per hour. Summer 2011 delivery was projected for orders placed in July 2010. The 2011 delivery date was later extended into 2012 due to the decision to incorporate a gearbox into the production model.
Flextronics outsourcing
In September 2010, Brammo announced an agreement to
outsource
Outsourcing is an agreement in which one company hires another company to be responsible for a planned or existing activity which otherwise is or could be carried out internally, i.e. in-house, and sometimes involves transferring employees and ...
motorcycle production to
Flextronics
Flex Ltd. (previously known as Flextronics International Ltd. or Flextronics) is an American Singaporean-domiciled multinational diversified manufacturing company. It is the third largest global electronics manufacturing services (EMS), origi ...
. Brammo said the deal was made because of Flextronics' ability to supply Brammo with all its electronics needs and to move manufacturing closer to overseas consumers, rather than building on US assembly lines.
Enertia Plus electric motorcycle
![Brammoenertiaplus](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Brammoenertiaplus.jpg)
In October 2010, Brammo announced a new model of its Enertia motorcycle, called the Enertia Plus. Set for delivery in 2011, the Enertia Plus will have a 6.0 kWh Brammo Power Lithium Ion battery pack. According to CEO Bramscher, the Enertia Plus is a zero-emissions motorcycle that will travel 80 miles on one charge, over 60 miles per hour, and should take about 6 hours to fully power up at any electric vehicle (EV)
charging station
A charging station, also known as a charge point or electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), is a piece of equipment that supplies electrical power for charging plug-in electric vehicles (including electric cars, electric trucks, electric ...
with Level 1 capabilities.
2011
Engage and Encite models
![Engage1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Engage1.jpg)
In May 2011, Brammo announced two new models of electric motorcycle, the Engage and the Encite. The Engage is a full-sized dirtbike, available in both
motorcross
Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom.
History
Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competiti ...
(offroad) and
supermoto
Supermoto is a form of motorcycle racing held on race tracks that alternate between three kinds of track surfaces: the hard packed dirt of flat track, the irregular jumps and obstacles of motocross, and the paved tarmac of road racing. Supermo ...
(onroad, mostly) variants. The Encite MMX Pro, the smaller of the two bikes, was described as a more hardcore racing version. Along with the announcement of the two bikes came the announcement that the company had partnered with SMRE, an Engineering and Design firm based in
Umbertide Umbertide () is a town and ''comune'' (township) of Italy, in the province of Perugia and in northwestern Umbria, at the confluence of the Reggia river and the Tiber. It is 30 km (19 mi) North of Perugia and 20 km (12 mi) South ...
, Italy. SMRE had designed the
mechatronic
Mechatronics engineering also called mechatronics, is an interdisciplinary branch of engineering that focuses on the integration of mechanical, electrical and electronic engineering systems, and also includes a combination of robotics, electronics ...
six-speed gearbox that the new bikes, in prototype form, were using.
TTXGP
On May 14 and 15, 2011, at
Infineon Raceway
Sonoma Raceway (originally known as Sears Point Raceway from 1967 to 1980 and 1982 to 2002, Golden State International Raceway in 1981 and Infineon Raceway from 2002 to 2012) is a road course and dragstrip located at Sears Point in the southern S ...
, Brammo's Empulse RR racing motorcycle won the first two races of the TTXGP North American Series, also known as the
A123 Infineon Round. The motorcycle was ridden by Steve Atlas, an
AMA credentialed racer and a contributing editor for Motorcycle-USA.com. During the race on Sunday, the Empulse RR broke the track record for electric motorcycles, set the previous year by the
Zero-Agni machine, ridden by
Shawn Higbee.
In July 2011, Brammo announced it had entered a partnership with
TTXGP
TTXGP are the official promoters of FIM eRoadRacing, an electric motorsport race series. Founded by Azhar Hussain MBE in 2008, TTXGP started life as the first zero-carbon, clean-emission race to take place at the Isle of Man TT as teams from aro ...
to provide race-ready rides for the TTXGP electric racing series for the 2013 season. Brammo indicated that it would provide box-stock Empulse motorcycles to the TTXGP through Mavizen, the electric motorcycle startup launched by TTXGP founder Azhar Hussain. Mavizen and Brammo would develop a "race kit" including racing bodywork, unspecified "race performance upgrades" and track-side tech support.
Although Brammo's Empulse RR racing motorcycle took third place at the TTXGP race at
Miller Motorsports Park
Utah Motorsports Campus is a race track facility located in Grantsville near Tooele, Utah, United States. It operated under the name of Miller Motorsports Park from 2006 until October 2015. The course has hosted auto, motorcycle, bicycle and kar ...
in Utah on the weekend of September 2, 2011, its position and prior points earned in the racing series guaranteed it the title of TTXGP North American Champion. The electric racing motorcycle was piloted by Steve Atlas, who had given the team consistent speed and performance throughout the 2011 season.
Acquisitions and investments
In September 2011, Brammo acquired European bike rental company QuantyaParx. Brammo said they would be expanding the business to the United States.
In October 2011,
Polaris Industries
Polaris Inc. is an American automotive manufacturer of Polaris RZR, RZR, motorcycles, snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, and neighborhood electric vehicles headquartered in Medina, Minnesota, United States. Polaris was founded in Roseau, Minneso ...
announced an investment in Brammo. Polaris had previously produced an electric version of its Ranger Side-by-Side, and acquired
Global Electric Motorcars
Global Electric Motorcars (GEM) is an American manufacturer in the low-speed vehicle category, producing neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) since 1998 and low-speed vehicles (LSVs) since 2001. It has sold more than 50,000 GEM battery-electri ...
(GEM) from
Chrysler
Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
. An analyst concluded that Polaris intends to add electric drivetrains to its ATV and motorcycle product lineup, but were likely to wait for further technology advancements before bringing them to
snowmobile
A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...
s.
Hong Kong police and municipal use
In October 2011, Hong Kong's
Government Logistics Department
The Government Logistics Department (GLD) is a unit of the Hong Kong government responsible for the printing and publishing of government materials, procurement for government bureaux and departments, and some land transport operations for gov ...
announced that it would be replacing
Hong Kong Police Force
The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) is the primary law enforcement, investigative agency, and largest Hong Kong Disciplined Services, disciplined service under the Security Bureau (Hong Kong), Security Bureau of Hong Kong. The Royal Hong Kong Po ...
and Water Supplies Department gasoline-powered motorcycles with Brammo Enertia Plus "LE" (Law Enforcement) electric motorcycles. The Hong Kong Police Force had been using several Enertia motorcycles as part of pilot project for over a year.
2012
![Brammo Empulse at charging station, August 2012](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Brammo_Empulse_at_charging_station%2C_August_2012.jpg)
In December, a United States customer took delivery of the first Empulse R.
Empulse R ride reviews
''Wired'' reviewed the Brammo Empulse R in August 2012. After riding on the
Green Springs Highway
Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combin ...
north of Ashland, Oregon, the reviewer wrote that the Empulse R "uses the benefits of electric propulsion to achieve real performance benefits over internal-combustion-engine sportbikes
The review found that the Empulse's performance on curving roads rivaled the
Triumph Street Triple
The Triumph Street Triple is a naked or streetfighter motorcycle made by Triumph Motorcycles, first released towards the end of 2007.
The bike is closely modelled on the Speed Triple 1050 but uses a re-tuned inline three cylinder 675 cc e ...
and its performance on straight roads felt "just a touch behind middleweight naked bikes like the
Suzuki SV650
The Suzuki SV650 and variants are street motorcycles manufactured since 1999 for the international market by the Suzuki Motor Corporation, featuring a mid-sized V-twin engine and medium performance components. In 2009, Suzuki replaced the ...
or
Kawasaki Ninja 650
The Kawasaki Ninja 650R, also called ER-6f or EХ-6, is a motorcycle in the Ninja series from the Japanese manufacturer Kawasaki sold since 2006. The 2012 model drops the R suffix from its name. It is a middleweight, parallel-twin engined motorc ...
." Regarding the six-speed gearbox, the review found that it instilled rider involvement and enabled the motorcycle to "maximize both efficiency and power at any speed range." The ride test found that the bike achieved the top speed and, in a ride that averaged , the bike had a realistic range of .
TTXGP World Championship
Steve Atlas, starting from the second position on a Brammo's Empulse RR, won the 2012
TTXGP
TTXGP are the official promoters of FIM eRoadRacing, an electric motorsport race series. Founded by Azhar Hussain MBE in 2008, TTXGP started life as the first zero-carbon, clean-emission race to take place at the Isle of Man TT as teams from aro ...
World Championship at
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in NASCAR as well as its season opening event. In addition to NA ...
. The event was the first electric vehicle race held at the Daytona track.
2015
On January 15, 2015,
Polaris Industries
Polaris Inc. is an American automotive manufacturer of Polaris RZR, RZR, motorcycles, snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, and neighborhood electric vehicles headquartered in Medina, Minnesota, United States. Polaris was founded in Roseau, Minneso ...
announced that it had purchased the entire electric motorcycle business from Brammo. Production of an electric motorcycle, the rebadged Victory Empulse, commenced at Polaris' factory in Spirit Lake, IA during the second half of 2015.
[
]
2017
In 2017 Polaris announced that they were reluctantly closing down their Victory Motorcycles brand.
Product awards
*Enertia — 2010 Silver Edison Award
The Edison Award is an annual Dutch music prize awarded for outstanding achievements in the music industry. It is comparable to the American Grammy Award. The Edison award itself is a bronze replica of a statuette of Thomas Edison, designed by ...
*Brammo — Motorcycle.com Best of 2011, honorable mention for best electric
*Empulse — ''Popular Science
''Popular Science'' (also known as ''PopSci'') is an American digital magazine carrying popular science content, which refers to articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. ''Popular Science'' has won over 58 awards, incl ...
'' "Best of What's New 2011" (automotive category)
*Empulse — '' GQ'' "Best stuff of the year 2012"
*Empulse R — ''Playboy
''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother.
K ...
'' "2013 Motorcycle of the Year" and "Best Electric"
References
External links
Official website
- ''Portland Business Journal''
Brammo Electric Motorcycle Company Bought Out By Polaris
- ''Green Car Reports''
{{Motorcycle marques of the United States
Automotive companies established in 2002
2002 establishments in Oregon