Brammo Is Hiring!
Brammo is among the most innovative power sports companies in the world, and also one of the most admired and accomplished international electric-motorcycle racing teams; currently the North American champion TTXGP/e-FIM title-holder. Brammo is the leading global supplier of technologically advanced battery-electric motorcycles. We design and manufacture systems for both consumer-use, and for commercial/government fleet operations. The corporate Service organization currently has an opening for a qualified:
Technical Buyer
Sales Director (North America)
Service Manager
System Engineer
Programs Manager
Read more about these job openings by following this link : http://www.brammo.com/careers/
Brammo Expansion 2012
Brammo Inc. is proud to announce that we are one step closer to expanding our local headquarters and bringing up to 200 additional employees to town.
The Ashland Planning Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved the plan to build a pair of two-story buildings and a private dirt test track for our electric motorcycles.
"It's very exciting to see our growth here in Ashland, and it will be great having our initial production close in hand," said Craig Bramscher, company founder and chief executive officer. "Anything we make that should go in the dirt will probably be developed here."
The buildings at 777 Jefferson Ave. will house research, design, warehousing, administrative offices and the manufacturing of prototypes for Brammo. The buildings likely will replace our current headquarters on Clover Lane.
The planned expansion will bump the number of our local employees to 200 or 250 from about 40 now. About 20 percent of the additional workers will be hired locally.
The majority of the staff will be transferred from outside the community to further Brammo's off-road electric vehicle development, which has become an emphasis of the company since Minnesota-based off-road and powersports vehicle maker Polaris Industries acquired $28 million worth of Brammo stock last October.
The Encite and Engage models of electric dirt bikes and any new all-terrain electric vehicle concepts it introduces will be designed in Ashland. Currently, the company does most of its off-road prototype work at a facility in Italy.
"I think it's a great-looking project, and an asset to the city," said planning Commissioner Mike Church.
Last September, Brammo purchased a chain of 16 European racetracks exclusively used by electric dirt bikes, which it renamed BrammoParx. By the end of 2013, we have hopes to open 100 similar parks in metropolitan areas across the U.S.
The 2.5-acre test track approved for Ashland will likely serve as a prototype track for BrammoParx in the U.S. The downsized track in Ashland will be used for demonstrating the potential of a full-scale park to potential investors.
The new buildings, which will measure 14,857 and 18,805 square feet, will hopefully be operational in seven to eight months. The search for a builder is ongoing and we are working to secure a loan to fund the project, so it may be a year, Bramscher said.
Ford To Make 2012 ‘The Year of the Electrified Vehicle’
Ford Motor Co. will be introducing five new electrified vehicles into the North American marketplace within the next 12 months. Leading the way will be the mid-size Ford Fusion hybrid. Along with the exciting line up cars Ford will be offering the new EVs will create 12,000 American jobs.
On Monday, Ford unveiled its new 2013 Fusion along with a brand-new hybrid version - vehicles which will be competing against the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry for pre-eminence in the highly-competitive mid-size sedan sector.
"It will be the most eco-friendly vehicle lineup in our history,'' said Alan Mulally, Ford president and CEO, at the North American International Auto Show on Monday.
It's anticipated that the hybrid will offer 47 mpg and the electric-hybrid will offer drivers a 100 mpg equivalent with a full range of 500 miles.
Derrick Kuzak, Ford's vice-president of global product development, said the new Fusion designs will offer a combination of "fuel-efficiency and comfort with great styling.''
Congratulations to Ford for their innovation and offerings to the EV/Hybrid market. With the 'big automakers' making such a clear statement on the importance of the Eco-friendly auto industry it will only bring good things to the charging infrastructure and the prices of the batteries.
Blue Chip Companies Form Coalition to Advance Electric Vehicles
A group of Blue Chip organizations have joined together to form the Electrification Leadership Council. The purpose of this group is to design a large-scale electric vehicle (EV) demonstration project that will help create a comprehensive national model for EV deployment.
Among its members are FedEx Express, Hertz, Navistar, Azure Dynamics, A123 Systems, CODA Automotive, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, ECOtality, Automatiks, and GE Capital.
The Electrification Leadership Council (ELC) is a coalition of members who represent stakeholders throughout the Electric Vehicle supply chain. Together these members possess the expertise and resources required to engage federal, state, regional and local agencies and coalitions, utility companies, vehicle manufacturers and financial institutions to help overcome the barriers to broad scale EV deployment.
For the demonstration project, the coalition is planning a large-scale deployment of EVs within specific densely populated markets where all the components of an EV Ecosystem can be brought together: EV deployment, charging stations, the electrical grid, energy storage devices and battery second-life applications, communication systems and support networks.
"This is about developing a more efficient, effective and environmentally friendly EV Ecosystem," says Dennis Beal , vice president of Global Vehicles for FedEx Express. "We work with many companies across the EV Ecosystem, have learned a lot and are hungry to share our learning, expand collaboration and further the future of transportation electrification with this large-scale, cross-industry project. It is the responsible thing to do across the board - environmentally, economically and for our national security as we reduce our dependence on foreign oil and move towards environmentally friendly technologies."
The ELC will engage with communities that have already developed collaborative efforts to foster EV readiness related to:
- Infrastructure Planning
- Regulatory Alignment
- Public Awareness
The ELC will help these communities close their EV readiness gaps at the grassroots level by addressing barriers to EV deployment that typically include:
- Charging Infrastructure
- Government and Regulatory Policy
- Vehicle Availability and Demand
- Cost of Ownership and Vehicle Support
- Public Awareness and Acceptance
The ELC is evaluating a number of local markets for the demonstration projects and will announce sites once plans are in place.
Learn more:
Website: www.elcouncil.com
What should EVs sound like?
HARMAN, the global leading supplier of premium audio and infotainment systems, announced today the results of a survey it commissioned to help identify the types of sounds consumers want future electric cars to make.
The majority of respondents want electric cars to sound like their current cars, consumers in the survey said they expect that car manufacturers will have a distinctive sound for each auto brand, suggesting opportunities for signature sounds and differentiation that isn’t available today. This study will be used to help car makers define the type and level of sound for electric vehicles, supporting an increased focus on sensory cues as a way to subconsciously communicate their brands while still improving safety.
Although a majority of respondents want the sound of a conventional car, family car drivers suggest that quieter, smoother, humming sounds are appropriate for electric vehicles. Female respondents and families are significantly more likely to want quieter / less powerful sounds compared to males. And while electric cars don’t typically use conventional gearboxes that need shifting, consumers want the sound linked to acceleration. Audible gear shift points in these vehicles will become a particularly desirable feature for sports car owners keen to hear a more ‘authentic’ sound.
I'm not sure if i like the idea of the sounds being 'branded'. I think if the purpose of the noise is to increase safety then the number criteria for the noise should be that it is easy to hear and locate the direction that it is coming from. If we allow the noises to be specific to the brand of vehicle we have already missed the point.
FedEx Goes Electric
FedEx Express is trying out a new electric delivery vehicle using technology from the world’s first mass-market all-electric car, the Nissan LEAF.
A two-month trial is underway in London that aims to assess how the electric vehicle, an all-electric version of the Nissan NV200, copes with the demands of daily deliveries in the UK capital. The prototype NV200 EV uses the same drive technology and battery as the Nissan LEAF, a family car that rolled out to the mass market for the first time at the start of the year, since when 20,000 have been sold. The LEAF has a range of up to 100 miles on a single charge, according to the manufacturer.
FedEx said the trial was part of its efforts to reduce dependence on petroleum, cut carbon emissions and eliminate tailpipe pollution.
FedEx Express already operates 43 all-electric vehicles it is trying out in London, Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Memphis.
The company said the NV200 would be particularly well-suited to uses in congested city streets where air quality is poor, since it has zero tailpipe emissions. The vehicle can be charged overnight conventionally, or by using a quick charger the battery can be taken up to 80% capacity in just 30 minutes.
I assumed that FedEx vans typically traveled significantly more than 100 miles in one day but i guess if the van is located in a congested area of the city they may not travel very many miles at all. Well done to FedEx for making the first steps towards a switch. Good luck.
International Motorcycle Show – Long Beach 2011
On Friday 9th December the International Motorcycle Show rolls into Long Beach, California for what promises to be an amazing weekend.
Brammo will be there in full force come and see the Enertia, Empulse, Engage and Encite up close.
The 2011TTXGP Championship winning race bike the Brammo Empulse RR will be there, as will Steve Atlas our Championship winning rider- and the Brammo umbrella girls!
Brammo
Stand 251, Hall C
International Motorcycle Show
Long Beach Convention Center
300 E. Ocean Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90802
Show Hours:
Friday, December 9 4:00pm-9:00pm
Saturday, December 10 9:30am-8:00pm
Sunday, December 11 9:30am-5:00pm
Attendee Parking:
Autos: $10
Motorcycles: Free
Hope to see you there!
I-GO Car Sharing Leads the Way
I-GO Car Sharing is a nonprofit organization in the Chicago area. This week they announced plans to build 11 solar powered charging stations around the city. The company is currently midway through a $2.5 million electric vehicle project that will add 36 all-electric vehicles to its fleet and 11 publicly-available solar charging stations to power its cars. Once completed, I-GO will have the largest electric vehicle fleet in the Midwest, and it will use more solar power to charge electric vehicles than anywhere else in the country.
Grants from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) will be used to fund the project and will be completed in early 2012. Each solar charging station will form a canopy that covers four parking spaces, and will be able to power two electric vehicles. Two spaces will be reserved for I-GO at each location, and the others will be available to the public. Each canopy will be topped with 44 solar panels. In aggregate, the canopies will produce about 200,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, which will power as much as 600,000 miles driven per year.
The company responsible for building the charging stations is 350Green LLC, a San Diego-based company. Thanks to a package of $2 million in federal and state grants 350Green LLC was able to cut costs in half in order to do that project.
I read so many similar stories to this one, it is only a matter of time before seeing charging stations all over cities will be a common occurrence. Cant wait.
GM Offers Free Loaner Cars
In response to a series of fires that occurred in crash-testing of the Chevy Volt and its batteries GM have offered to provide free loaner cars to anyone who is concerned about this issue. In true holiday spirit Mark Reuss, president of GM North America said, "Our customers' peace of mind is the most important thing. This technology should inspire confidence and pride and not fear and doubt" .
Federal officials on Friday launched a formal safety-defect investigation into GM's plug-in hybrid vehicle after crash tests on several Volts and their batteries resulted in fires. In one case, a fire that started in one of the test vehicles consumed three others parked nearby. The problem occurs when electricity is left stored in the batteries for some time following a crash, said Mary Barra, GM's senior vice president of global product development.
When GM learns of a crash involving a Volt from the vehicle's onboard communications system, the automaker sends technicians to hook up equipment to drain the electricity from the battery.
This is an amazing example of the commitment that GM have towards the EV industry. They understand that those people who took the leap of faith in purchasing the first generation of EVs from General Motors deserve peace of mind and security when considering their vehicles safety features.
Volkswagen to be Producing EVs in China from 2013
In order to meet demand for Electric Vehicles, Volkswagen AG has declared that by 2013 they plan to be producing the environmentally friendly vehicles in China.
Volkswagen is counting on China to help it surpass General Motors Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. as the world’s biggest automaker by 2018. VW will spend 14 billion euros ($19 billion) from 2012 through 2016 to expand in the nation it first entered three decades ago, as part of a push to increase sales in emerging markets.
Karl-Thomas Neumann, chief executive officer and president of the Wolfsburg, Germany- based automaker’s China unit said, "Governments in China and Europe are getting more realistic that electric cars could quickly replace internal- combustion engines." Neumann reiterated VW’s plans to double production capacity by 2015 and said it will exceed 2 million deliveries in China this year. The maker of the Jetta sedan and Tiguan SUV sold 1.89 million vehicles in the first 10 months, an increase of 15 percent from a year earlier, it said on Nov. 11.
VW produces cars and sport-utility vehicles in China through ventures with SAIC Motor Corp. and China FAW Group Corp. The two ventures have each created a prototype EV and will introduce test fleets next year, said Neumann.