Brammo Enertia electric motorcycles go to Washington, D.C. on road trip

Two riders have set out on a trip from Detroit to Washington, D.C., on a pair of Brammo Enertia electric motorcycles, in an effort to generate some buzz and retrace the trips famously made by the Detroit 3 executives to speak before Congress last year, first by corporate jet, then more humbly by car.
 
The pair kicked off their trip just outside Detroit’s Wayne County Airport, where the auto execs infamously took off in private jets on their initial trip to beg for Federal help. Brammo says energy cost for the bikes to make the 525-mile trip should be around four dollars apiece, but they didn’t say how they arrived at that optimistic figure. Even if the electricity costs twice as much, it is a cheap ride. However, travel costs will have to include more meals and hotel stays due to recharging needs than if the range-necessitated multi-day trip were taken in a gasoline-fueled vehicle.
 
To make the same trip in a Toyota Prius would cost about $30. (The Prius gets is the current fuel-economy champ in our ratings at 44 mpg overall.) Plus the Prius does offer things the Enertia does not, like weather protection, air bags, and the ability to travel most of the distance without stopping for fuel. Depending on how it’s equipped, the Prius also costs at least $10,000 more than the Brammo’s $11,995 price tag (before a 10-percent federal tax credit). Ultimately, the value equation depends on the buyer’s priorities.
 
Details and ultimate goal of the trip are sketchy at best, but the pair is blogging and Twittering their way furiously east, along with posting videos along the way. The team, which includes Enertia designer Brian Wissman, says they hope to meet with President Obama and present him with “a homegrown solution to the transportation crisis.” There’s no ETA mentioned on their site, but with a range of 42 miles and a 60 mph top speed, it’ll take a bit longer to get to Washington by Enertia than by corporate jet. Or by Prius. 
 
You can follow their progress at shockingbarack.com, and leave your contact info if you’d like to offer an electrical outlet for charging, or a place to sleep. Seriously.
 
Read our first driving impression in “Brammo electric motorcycles coming to Best Buy.”

See our motorcycle and scooter buying advice and ratings.

—Jim Travers  

Comments

[Cale]

A online mapping service suggests that I could knock out the trip on my conventional motorcycle in a single grueling 9-hour/525 mile day on the decidedly unattractive (for motorcycling, that is) OH and PA turnpikes. I'd buy a bit over 13 gallons of gas, stopping 3Xs for gas, at a cost of $33 (525/40 mpg X $2.50 gallon) and I'd include an allowance for motorcycle tires, add $26 (525 X $.05/mile). My cost would be about $58.

I wouldn't consider spending $11k for an electric motorcycle because of range and performance concerns but I always thought motorcycles, in general, were pretty inexpensive to operate. No more, a Prius has simply got to be the most inexpensive way to travel!