Mission Motorcycles

[strider]

I disagree with LCC's statement that even next summer the Mission will just be "ok". Show me something on the market today that is comparable? I'm not switching to electric until I can get better performance than I get from my current ICE's (GSX-R750 and Benelli 900LE). I only ride on the track and the Zero (or Brammo) just doesn't deliver the amount of performance I want both in terms of output or input (I don't see how I can do a full track day w/ the 1.3kW charger on the Zero...).

I still have my deposit in - I feel it's still worth the gamble at this point. Their VP of Marketing said I could come visit in the spring so we'll see if they hold to that.

 

[strider]

So it's apparently official:
Mission Motorcycles Filing for Bankruptcy

 

[lolachampcar]

did you get your deposit back?

 

[dsm363]

Too bad. Makes it all the more amazing Tesla has survived so far. Starting a company like that can't be easy.

 

[lolachampcar]

The announcement seems to say inside info dictated that the hardware could survive racing but was not up to commercial standards of reliability and required complete redesign.......

 

[strider]

did you get your deposit back?

Nope. Never heard anything. I assume I'm sitting on a list of (from the A&R article) 100 or so others. Depending on how their debt was structured I may see nothing or I may get a tiny percentage back. I take solace in that at least I was able to ride the prototype. I can just look at it as a really expensive rental

 

[lolachampcar]

sorry.....

 

[ecarfan]

Too bad. Makes it all the more amazing Tesla has survived so far. Starting a company like that can't be easy.

The market for electric motorcycles is far smaller than the market for cars, making it just that much harder to start an electric motorcycle company. Tesla nearly failed and it had zero competition in the long range EV market. It was inevitable that some of the electric motorcycle companies would fail considering that they still can't truly be described as "long range" with approximately 100 miles or less of real world range. And it will be many years before there is an electric long distance touring motorcycle. However, it will happen eventually.
@strider, sorry to hear this news. But at least you have some alternatives with Lightning and others.

 

[protomech]

And it will be many years before there is an electric long distance touring motorcycle. However, it will happen eventually.

Zero could build a 200 highway mile bike today using its current technology - 8 modules and a fairing would take it the distance. And if Zero and Tesla worked out a deal, it could charge 20% to 80% (120 hwy miles) in about 25 minutes at any Tesla Supercharger station.

It'd be a bigger bike than current - maybe 600 pounds. Expensive too - probably $25k, including fees to access the Supercharger network.

But not impossible to build today. And perhaps not impossible to sell.. but a $25k bike with a somewhat shaky sales & support network would be a gamble.

 

[lolachampcar]

For what it is worth, Mark told me the Mission was being qualified to use Tesla's SC network; specifically, the bike was being tested "by Tesla".

 

[ecarfan]

Zero could build a 200 highway mile bike today using its current technology - 8 modules and a fairing would take it the distance. And if Zero and Tesla worked out a deal, it could charge 20% to 80% (120 hwy miles) in about 25 minutes at any Tesla Supercharger station.
It'd be a bigger bike than current - maybe 600 pounds. Expensive too - probably $25k, including fees to access the Supercharger network.
But not impossible to build today. And perhaps not impossible to sell.. but a $25k bike with a somewhat shaky sales & support network would be a gamble.

I appreciate your post and agree. That is why I said it will be years before an electric long distance touring motorcycle is offered for sale. The cost of batteries will have to significantly decrease and the energy density significantly increase (and those two things are obviously inter-related) before such a bike is a viable product. But it will happen.

 

[wiztecy]

Too bad. Makes it all the more amazing Tesla has survived so far. Starting a company like that can't be easy.

Even more so that Zero Motorcycles here in Santa Cruz has survived through it all since they're in the same market as Mission...

Wow, you're taking it well Strider. Really feel bad that you won't be getting that slick set of wheels, even more so about the blues news on your deposit. I do hope they find a way to refund those back, the creditors can take a huge write-off for their losses but the customers can not. Possibly if you find the right tax guy, I don't know, I just hope something works out in your favor.

I'm having a blast on my Zero FX, so I know that bike would have been a wild toy as you know from the prototype ride.

 

[mhpr262]

The market for electric motorcycles is far smaller than the market for cars, making it just that much harder to start an electric motorcycle company.

It is certainly much smaller, but it is also far easier to build a motorcycle than it is to build a car. No gigantic overhead costs like for Tesla's 1000 ton stamping presses. Literally every single part you need to build a bike is already available on the market or can easily be built by a dozen makers according to your specification. Motors, frames, controllers, suspension, wheels, brakes, seats, lights ... OK, battery is an exception, but other than that basically all you need to start your own motorcycle "brand" is some CAD skills, an internet conncetion and a wrench.

 

[ecarfan]

Yes I agree except...starting a new motorcycle brand involves much more than just building bikes. You have to set up a sales and service network everywhere you sell. That is hard.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

The beauty of the Tesla model is that fact that they don't use dealers. The sales process is all online. In fact when Zero Motorcycles started they direct shipped their bikes to the customer and the customer did minor assembly. The parts are available -- check out Hollywood Electrics. Those guys seem to have their act together and could prototype pretty much anything.

 

[Discoducky]

Nope. Never heard anything. I assume I'm sitting on a list of (from the A&R article) 100 or so others. Depending on how their debt was structured I may see nothing or I may get a tiny percentage back. I take solace in that at least I was able to ride the prototype. I can just look at it as a really expensive rental

This why I hesitate to put money down for other EVs. Glad you experienced the ride though!

 

[gregincal]

Somebody posted a link in the Apple thread, but I thought it would be interesting to followers of Mission Motorcycles who might not have seen this:

Apples auto ambitions sideswipe electric motorcycle startup - Yahoo News

I think it was probably easy poaching for Apple because of already existing problems, though. It's always easy to say "despite all that, we could still have made it, except..."

 

[protomech]

It seems like the article is talking about Mission Motors, not Mission Motorcycles.

 

[gregincal]

It seems like the article is talking about Mission Motors, not Mission Motorcycles.

They were always pretty much the same thing: "A separate company, Mission Motorcycles, was formed in 2013 to sell the bike, but it plans to file for bankruptcy, CEO Mark Seeger wrote in court papers in September."

 

[felixtb]

Nope. Never heard anything. I assume I'm sitting on a list of (from the A&R article) 100 or so others. Depending on how their debt was structured I may see nothing or I may get a tiny percentage back. I take solace in that at least I was able to ride the prototype. I can just look at it as a really expensive rental

oh well....... I'm one of those 100 as well....... never got a test ride though....... :-(

I guess we win some and lose some. the guys at mission really tried hard though. hope something comes ou of it in the long run........