BRD Redshift Motorcyle: A Lean, Mean, Electric-powered Machine
Last week’s Jones Seminar, led by CEO and Co-Founder of BRD Motorcycles and Marc Fenigstein (Dartmouth ’01), featured the BRD Redshift motorcycle. This motorcycle is the first production street vehicle of any kind faster in its electric form than in its gas equivalent. The bike, which operates fully on electric power, is a high performance and lightweight piece of equipment, priced at about $15,000 and faster than any other racing machine in its class.
The motorcycle was created in a small machine shop by a four-person team operating in San Francisco. Considering themselves, “a team of racers, riders, designers, engineers, and troublemakers,” BRD set out to make a product that could be pro uced in the US and would sell because it was better looking and faster than any comparable device currently available.
The Redshift MX, the group’s featured motorcycle, is an off-road racer, filling a niche in the two billion dollar performance lightweight market. Seeking to make a high-performance product, BRD hopes to develop a strong base of passionate customers who are looking for a motorcycle that will outrun any other normal bike. Furthermore, not only will this bike come in at an overall cheaper price (the Honda equivalent has operating costs totaling approximately $44.50 per hour, while BRD’s Redshift comes in at a miniscule $0.55 per hour), but it will also look sleeker than any other bike on the market.
The motorcycle’s speed and electric-only capacities are enabled by two innovative pieces of BRD technology: a rugged, power-dense, integrated drivetrain and a weldless, monocoque aluminum chassis. The bike’s drivetrain delivers twice the power and 30% more energy capacity than the closest competitor, allowing the 260-pound bike to reach speeds of up to 80 mph. Moreover, the lightweight chassis eliminates the numerous steps and quality control challenges present with a traditional welded-frame bike. It also produces a motorcycle of competitive weight, strength, and stiffness in only a fraction of the production time.
Although the bike isn’t currently in mass production, it is expected to make its first appearance for general consumption later this year. Equipped with a 4.5-hour charging cycle (shorter than most cell phones), a high aesthetic appeal, and an electric motor built for speed, the bike is expected to sell well to both young sport-riders and urban travelers alike, with small modifications to the cycle made to accommodate the different environments. With potential as an off-road racer, a passenger-oriented city speeder, and a police-retrofitted courier, BRD’s Redshift Motorcycle appears to be accelerating its way to a bright future.