Tarform unveils Luna e-moto for folks who may not like motorcycles

Brooklyn-based EV startup Taform unveiled its Luna electric motorcycle in New York last week—a model designed for an audience that may not actually like motorcycles.

Tarform’s first street legal entrant, the Luna, starts at $24,000, does 0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds, has a city range of 120 miles, top-speed of 120 mph, and charges to 80% in 50 minutes—according to company specs.

The model was hatched out of the company’s mission to meld aesthetic design and craftsmanship to environmental sustainability in two-wheeled electric vehicles.

To that end, the Luna incorporates a number of unique, eco-design features. The bodywork is made from a flax seed weave and the overall motorcycle engineering avoids use of plastics. The Luna’s seat upholstery is made out of biodegradable vegan leather. Tarform is also testing methods to avoid paints and primers on its motorcycles, instead using a mono-material infused with algae and iron based metallic pigments.

The company was founded by Swede Taras Kravtchouk—an industrial design specialist, former startup head, and passionate motorcyclist. The Luna launch follows the debut of two concept e-motos in 2018.

Image Credits: Jake Bright

On Tarform’s target market, he explained the startup hopes to attract those who may be turned off by the very things that have turned people on to motorcycling over the last 50 years—namely gas, chrome, noise, and fumes.

“It’s more for people who want a custom bike and the techies: people who wanted to have a motorcycle but didn’t want to be associated with the whole stigmatized motorcycle lifestyle,” Kravtchouk told TechCrunch.

Tarform enters the EV arena with competition from several e-moto startups—and on OEM—that are attempting to convert gas riders to electric and attract a younger generation to motorcycling.

One of the leaders is California company Zero Motorcycles, with 200 dealers worldwide. Zero introduced a its $19,000 SR/F in 2019, with a 161-mile city range, one-hour charge capability and a top speed of 124 mph. Italy’s Energica is expanding distribution of its high-performance e-motos in the U.S.

In 2020, Harley Davidson became the first of the big gas manufacturers to offer a street-legal e-motorcycle for sale in the U.S., the $29,000 LiveWire.

And Canadian startup Damon Motors debuted its 200 mph, $24,000 Hypersport this year, which offers proprietary safety and ergonomics tech for adjustable riding positions and blind-spot detection.

On how Tarform plans to compete with these e-motorcycle players, Kravtchouk explained that’s not the company’s priority. “We’re not even close in production to Zero or the other big guys, but that’s not our intention. Think of the [Luna] as a custom production bike,” he said.

“We did not set out to build a bike that is fastest or has the longest range,” Kravtchouk added. “We set out to build a bike that completely revises the manufacturing and supply chain of e-motorcycles in a way where we ethically source our materials and create an ethical supply-chain.”

For this mission, Tarform has obtained funding from several family offices and angel investors, including LA based M13. The Brooklyn based e-motorcycle company is taking pre-orders on its new Luna and pursuing a Series-A funding round for 2021, according to CEO Taras Kravtchouk.

The missing links to grading Harley-Davidson’s EV pivot

May 13, 2020

The missing links to grading Harley Davidson’s EV pivot

As Harley Davidson rounds year one on its electric debut, we’re still riding in the fog on how to evaluate the company’s EV pivot.

The American symbol of gas, chrome, and steel released its first production electric motorcycle, the LiveWire last fall. The $29,799 machine is the first in a future line-up of EVs planned by Harley-Davidson — spanning motorcycles, bicycles and scooters.

The LiveWire started shipping to dealers September 27. It’s meant to complement, not replace, Harley-Davidson’s premium internal-combustion cruiser motorcycles.

The LiveWire has received mostly positive reviews from motorcycle stalwarts on design, features and performance. Two things are missing, however, to offer an initial grade on Harley Davidson’s first production e-moto and overall commitment to electric.

The company needs to release EV specific sales data and tell us what’s next in its voltage powered lineup.

Stats

Seven months out from the LiveWire debut, there’s been plenty of speculation on how the motorcycle’s fared in the marketplace, particularly with pricing just short of Tesla Model 3.

As a publicly traded company, I was hoping Harley would offer EV data in its end of year and first quarter 2020 financials.

Harley Davidson’s Softail Slim, Image Credits: Harley Davidson

We didn’t see that. HD’s reporting on motorcycle sales doesn’t include a separate line for electric. Instead, LiveWire units sold are folded into Harley’s “Cruiser” stats that include some 16 different motorcycle models across HD’s Softtail and CVO lines. From the numbers, it’s evident sales in that category fell for Harley Davidson over 2019, but it’s not possible to know how Harley’s EV debut performed on sales floors.

I checked with a Harley Davidson spokesperson, who confirmed the company hasn’t released any LiveWire specific sales data in any form.

Source: Harley Davidson’s fourth quarter and full year 2019 financial results

Without this info, we’re left to speculate from incomplete dealer feedback that’s made its way to press, including an October Reuters piece pinning LiveWire as a “flop” with buyers. To be fair, its difficult to find reliable e-motorcycle sales statistics anywhere, as the main source of data in the U.S. — the Motorcycle Industry Council — doesn’t compile or release them.

But Harley Davidson could and should give the public a better benchmark on the progress of its electric products by releasing EV specific sales numbers.

The market

The move to create an electric mobility line has been a bold one for the Milwaukee based company —which is steeped in tradition of creating distinctly loud, powerful, internal combustion two-wheelers since 1903.

With the LiveWire debut, Harley Davidson became the first of the big gas manufacturers to offer a street-legal e-motorcycle for sale in the U.S.

The move is something of a necessity for the company, which like most of the motorcycle industry in the U.S., has been bleeding revenue and younger buyers for years.

The U.S. motorcycle market has been in pretty bad shape since the last recession. New sales dropped by roughly 50% since 2008 — with sharp declines in ownership by everyone under 40 — and have never recovered.

Harley Davidson electric concept display in 2019, Image Credits: Jake Bright/TechCrunch

Execs at Harley Davidson have spoken about the LiveWire, and the company’s planned EV product line, as something to reboot HD with a younger generation in the on-demand mobility age.

While Harley got the jump on traditional motorcycle manufacturers, such as Honda and Kawasaki, it’s definitely not alone in the two wheeled electric space.

HD entered the EV arena with competition from several e-moto startups that are attempting to convert gas riders to electric and attract a younger generation to motorcycling.

One of the leaders is California startup Zero Motorcycles, with 200 dealers worldwide. Zero introduced a LiveWire competitor last year, the $19K SR/F, with a 161-mile city range, one-hour charge capability and a top speed of 124 mph. Italy’s Energica is expanding distribution of its high-performance e-motos in the U.S.

Talking to Zero Motorcycles’ CEO and taking home the 2020 SR/F

And Canadian startup, Damon Motors, debuted its 200 mph, $24K Hypersport this year, which offers proprietary safety and ergonomics tech for adjustable riding positions and blind-spot detection.

Harley Davidson, e-moto startups, and all the big manufacturers now face growing uncertainty on the buying appetite for motorcycles that could persist into 2020 — and beyond — given the economic environment created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This month Harley Davidson appointed a new CEO, Jochen Zeitz, to lead the company into the future. On last month’s first quarter earnings call, Zeitz didn’t offer much insight on HD’s EV sales or future, except to say, “We also remain committed to…advancing our efforts in electric.”

Scorecard so far

Without knowing how the LiveWire did in the ultimate product test — getting folks to give up money and buy one — there is some scorecard feedback to register on Harley’s electric debut.

To start with the negative, the company really missed the mark on the $29K price. The messaging on the price and product placement has shifted a bit since I first started talking to HD on LiveWire. In July 2019, Harley execs gave the “premium product” jingle on how the $30K price was justifiable over comparable e-moto offerings, such as Zero’s SR/F, priced $10,000 less.

More recently a Harley Davidson spokesperson commenting on background, described the LiveWire as a halo product — more of an attention getting model, and not priced for mass-market. Whatever actually went into the EV’s pricing, the consensus of just about everyone I’ve spoken to on the LiveWire is that it was priced too damn high.

On the thumbs up side, Harley Davidson did nail a lot of important factors on its electric debut. The company had a difficult task of creating something that bridged two worlds, at least in attributes and public response. The bike had to check out in features and performance as a legitimate e-motorcycle entrant. The LiveWire also had to pass the sniff test with Harley’s existing clientele, who are loyal to chrome and steel cruisers and aren’t exactly Tesla, EV types.

Image Credits: TechCrunch

Price and unknown sales numbers aside, I’d say Harley Davidson achieved both. I spent a day testing the 105 horsepower LiveWire on a track and pestering HD’s engineers on all the bike’s features, including its range and charge time. Overall, I found it to be a solid package across performance, design and key specs. Most of the motorcycle press has agreed.

HD also succeeded in engineering an e-motorcycle in a Harley Davidson way, including styling and creating a distinct, yet subtle, sound for its EV. I showed some LiveWire photos it to my grandpa — a loyal loud-pipes Harley rider since the 50s — and he responded favorably, saying he’d love to try one out. So HD’s electric debut did arouse the right kind of response and enthusiasm with the right crowds. That’s something to build on.

What’s next?

What HD has to do now with its electric program is show us what’s next. And whatever the company releases, it must appeal to and sell to a wider audience, including millennials.

I could envision the company’s next EV product release including a scooter offering — registering Harley in the urban mobility space — and an affordable e-motorcycle with wider market appeal.

Harley Davidson EV concepts, Image Credits: Harley Davidson

And what could Harley’s next e-motorcycle be? I see it as something priced around $10K, lighter and more accessible to beginner riders than the 549 pound LiveWire, cloud and app connected with at least 100 miles of range and a charge time of 30 to 40 minutes. A tracker styled EV channeling Harley’s flat track racers — with some off-road capability — could also help HD hit the mark. Harley released a mockup to this effect, in its EV concepts last year.

Of course, getting it all right on specs, style, and price point will be even more critical for Harley Davidson in COVID-19 economic environment, where spending appetites for things like motorcycles will be more conservative for the foreseeable future.

Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire gave the company’s commitment to electric credibility, Harley’s next round of two-wheeled EVs — and the market response — will tell us more about HD’s relevance in the 21st century mobility world.

Energica CEO plots her Italian EV company’s reboot from lockdown

April 9, 2020

Engerica CEO plots her Italian EV company’s reboot from lockdown

There could be more demand for electric vehicles post COVID-19 crisis, believes Energica founder Livia Cevolini.

The CEO of the high-performance Italian motorcycle manufacturer offered that point of optimism, as her Modena based EV company remains closed by government decree.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced Energica to hit the brakes on production of its battery powered machines that can reach top speeds of 168 mph.

From lockdown in her Northern Italy home, Cevolini shared perspective on the future of motorcycling, acquisition offers and plans to recharge her company when the COVID-19 crisis subsides.

At a time when her country has been hit particular hard by the coronavirus, she offered some upbeat thinking.

Energica CEO Livia Cevolini on lockdown in Modena, Italy

“I don’t want to look only at the negative…Maybe there are things that are positive that come out of this bad crisis,” Cevolini told TechCrunch on a video call.

One of those is greater demand for EVs after the pandemic. Cevolini highlighted greater awareness of the smog internal combustion mobility creates and scientific evidence that air pollution exacerbates viruses as factors that could swing more folks to electric.

Reporting has made much of urban areas attaining visibly cleaner air — featuring before shots of global cities with smog and after shots of clear skies since COVID-19 forced traffic off the roads.

“Maybe at the end of this situation we will have a greater awareness on climate change. Then people will approach electric with more consciousness,” Cevolini said.

Before the health crisis shutdown most of Italy, Energica had already seen larger demand for its high-performance e-motos, with a price range of $17,000 to $23,000. The company — that has has a California office and U.S. general manager (Stefano Benatti) — filled more orders in the first two months of 2020 than all its sales for 2019, according to Cevolini.

As an EV venture, Energica is located in the famed Italian motor valley and positions itself similar to its neighbors — Lamborghini, Ducati, Ferrari — in offering a merger of sleek design and elite performance.

MotoE Worldcup racing, Image Credits: Energica

The venture is also one of the few e-motorcycle companies drawing engineering tips from competition. In 2018, Energica was named the sole manufacturer to the MotoE Worldup — an electric version of MotoGP motorcycle racing. MotoE riders use the company’s EGO model as their base bike.

Technology from the track is transferring to production models, according to Cevolini. “The goal is to use racing to test in extreme but safe conditions and then we move stuff to the road bikes,” she said.

Energica credits the application of race tech to production e-motos for some of the increased order flow it saw early this year. The company reduced the weight of its 2020 production line by 5% and increased range by 60% based on adaptions it brought over from MotoE.

Track competition is a secondary arena for Energica. The primary venue is an increasingly crowded e-motorcycle marketplace, which will most certainly face declining demand given the economic impact of COVID-19.

Harley Davidson introduced its all electric $29K LiveWire in 2019, becoming the first of the big gas manufacturers to offer a street-legal e-moto for sale in the U.S.

Harley’s entry followed several failed electric motorcycle startups — including Mission Motors — and put it in the market with existing EV ventures, such California startup Zero, with 200 dealers worldwide.

Image Credits: TechCrunch

When it comes to core e-motorcycle specs — such as performance, charge-times and range — Energica has held advantages with its 145 horsepower machines that can charge in 20 minutes for max ranges of 140 to 250 miles.

But the competition is closing in on some of the Italian EV maker’s numbers. In 2019, Zero launched its high-performance SR/F, with 110 horsepower and a top-speed of 120 mph. And the entire motorcycle industry — gas and electric — could face competitive pressures from new EV entrant Damon Motors. The Vancouver based startup debuted its 200 mph, $24K Hypersport this year, which offers proprietary safety and ergonomics tech for adjustable riding positions and blind-spot detection.

On top of strong competition in the e-moto space, there’s a growing uncertainty on the buying appetite for motorcycles that could persist into 2020 — and beyond — given the COVID-19 pandemic gripping the world.

In the U.S., new motorcycles sales didn’t weather the last recession very well, dropping 50% in 2008 and remaining stagnant since. In addition to Energica, other manufacturers, such as Harley Davidson have been forced to stop production due the coronavirus.

Energica CEO Livia Cevolini believes her company has a leg up on its e-moto competitors and an ability to rebound, once it restarts operations.

She flags the manufacturer’s racing connection as something that will continue to give Energica an edge in product development. Speaking to competition with Zero Motorcycles in particular, “We are in a different category,” she said. “They have less power, less range and less fast charge capability.”

Energica has also created another revenue stream through a joint-venture to provide battery, computing and drive-train technology to Dell’Orto, a supplier to the global scooter market.

As more of the major gas motorcycle companies enter the EV market, Cevolini is open to a merger or acquisition, but only on her terms.

“If someone comes to me with a real proposal…that you want to grow our business and our company and not destroy it, we can talk,” she said. “Otherwise, we prefer to go our own way.”

Image Credits: Energica

Energica is prepared to restart production, and has done contingencies for adaptations — such as safe and socially distanced operations — when it gets the go head from the Italian government to reopen.

“We’re ready to fulfill the orders we received before the shutdown and take more,” she said.

When Energica is able to switch on the plant electricity again, Cevolini suspects her niche market of motorcycle enthusiasts will be eager to roll.

“Our customers are telling us they are just waiting to ride again. And as soon as they can ride again, they will ride again,” she said.

January 7, 2020

Damon Motors targets Tesla owners with its 200 MPH hyper-safe e-moto

Damon Motorcycles doesn’t want to become the Tesla of e-moto companies. But the startup does believe its EV two-wheeler is the first to capture the ethos of Tesla owners.

That’s the target market for Damon’s new $24,995 Hypersport, according to CEO Jay Giraud.

The Vancouver-based startup unveiled the e-motorcycle today at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, after offering a teaser in December.

Damon’s Hypersport has a 200 mph top-speed, 200 miles of highway range, 147 ft-lbs of torque, charges to 80% in 20 minutes and weighs less than 500 pounds, Giraud told TechCrunch on a call.

The company’s new EV is cloud-connected, manages performance through digital riding modes and will get riders from 0-60 mph in less than 3 seconds.

These specs alone would make the Hypersport impressive in an increasingly competitive e-moto market, but they’re only part of the Damon package. The seed-stage company also creates proprietary, digital safety technology engineered to overcome (what it sees as) common flaws in motorcycle design.

Damon Motorcycles Hypersport Sensors

“We’re trying to change the industry by addressing the issues of safety and handling and comfort and the problems that have persisted with everyone in the industry, including all the e-moto companies today,” Giraud told TechCrunch in December.

To that end, Damon has positioned its Hypersport as an ultra-fast, smart and safe motorcycle by infusing it with unique tech features. To start, the EV is equipped with the company’s CoPilot system, which uses sensors, radar and cameras to detect and track moving objects around the motorcycle — including blind spots — and alert riders to danger.

Damon Motorcycles CoPilot

Damon has also addressed the one-size-fits-all problem in motorcycle design, integrating a system on its Hypersport for adjustable ergonomics. The startup’s debut EV allows riders to electronically shift the motorcycle’s windscreen, seat, foot-pegs and handlebars to accommodate different positions and conditions — from upright city riding to more aggressive high-speed runs.

Damon is taking pre-orders for its Hypersport and will enter a stagnant American motorcycle market that’s becoming crowded with EV offerings.

New motorcycle sales in the U.S. have dropped by roughly 50% since 2008 — with sharp declines in ownership by everyone under 40 — and have never recovered, according to Motorcycle Industry Council stats.

In a bid to revive sales and the interest of younger riders, in 2019 Harley-Davidson became the first of the big gas-powered manufacturers to offer a street-legal e-moto for sale in the U.S. — the LiveWire — which is a forerunner to an HD product-line of electric-powered two-wheelers.

Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire

Harley followed several failed electric motorcycle startups — Alta Motors, Mission Motors and Brammo — into the market and joined existing EV ventures, such as Zero — which debuted its $19,000, 120 mph SR/F in 2019.

High-performance Italian EV company Energica has expanded marketing and sales in the U.S., and 2020 should also see e-moto debuts by California-based Lightning Motorcycles and Fuell, a French and American-founded company that plans to release the $10,000, 150-mile range Fllow.

Hows does Damon Motorcycles scale in a contracting U.S. motorcycle market with expanding EV entrants?

The company’s CEO, Jay Giraud, believes the startup’s melding of superior performance and safety features will give Damon a comparative advantage over other offerings.

He also sees Damon’s Hypersport (and planned subsequent models) as the first motorcycles that can sell to an existing but largely untapped e-moto market segment: Tesla owners.

“They know electric drive…they know what insane acceleration feels like…and they appreciate tech that makes the safety of the EV, on top of the unbelievable performance,” said Giraud — who co-founded Damon with fellow Canadian Dominique Kwong.

Jay Giraud and Dominique Kwong

But are four-wheel Tesla owners really potential motorcycle buyers?

“Sure they are,” said to Giraud. “Tons and tons of Tesla owners own motorbikes and over 1,700 people who filled out an interest form on our website told us they were [Tesla] owners.”

Damon is banking on what Giraud referred to as the Tesla-effect. “Within about six months of owning a Tesla…people start looking around for what else in their home and garage should be electric. And those are the customers we’re going after first,” Giraud said.

So time and sales stats will tell if Damon can attract affluent four-wheel EV owners to buy $25,000, 200 mph electric motorcycles.

We’ll also see if the company’s innovative design can create a Damon effect — shifting market expectations on OEMs and e-moto startups to offer both high-performance and extensive digital-safety features on motorcycles.

Talking to Zero Motorcycles’ CEO and taking home the 2020 SR/F

November 5, 2019

Talking to Zero Motorcycles’ CEO and taking home the 2020 SR/F

The motorcycle industry is shifting to electric. Harley Davidson signaled the trend this year, becoming the first big gas manufacturer to release a street-legal e-motorcycle in the US, the LiveWire.

But before Harley’s EV pivot, California based startup Zero Motorcycles had been selling e-motos for years.

“We’re an electric motorcycle and power-train manufacturer founded in 2006 in Santa Cruz, California…we’re sold in over 30 countries,” Zero CEO Sam Paschel told TechCrunch.

“Fundamentally we aim to transform and elevate the motorcycling experience and by doing that we expect to make a huge dent in transforming transportation globally.”

Toward that aim, Zero recently released the all-new 2020, SR/F — a $19K high-performance e-motorcycle and competitor to Harley Davidson’s $29K LiveWire.

TechCrunch took an SR/F home to experience going full e-moto. The biggest distinction between e-motorcycles — versus gas two-wheelers — is lightning acceleration and uninterrupted forward movement.

Zero’s SRF has a magnet motor and one gear — with no clutch or shifting — and fewer mechanical parts to put the 14.4 kWh battery’s 140 ft-lbs of torque to the pavement.

You simply twist and go.

The SR/F is a fully digital, IoT motorcycle that syncs to a smartphone and the cloud to monitor charge status or adjust performance. It has preset riding modes — Eco, Street, Sport, and Rain — for different combinations of power and range. The EV also allows for customized riding modes dialed in via smartphone.

Zero Ride Mode GIF One can power Zero’s sporty e-moto from a household outlet or use fast-charging networks — like ChargePoint — for a full battery in around 80 minutes.

Zero’s SR/F has a range of up to 161 miles in the city, where it can recharge itself marginally through regenerative braking. For a combination of city, highway, an sport riding, I averaged around 100 miles a charge, alternating between riding modes.

On performance, Zero’s new sport-entry hauls ass. Going 0 to 60 at full power on the new SR/F is a rush, while 60 to 100 speed is so fast it’s downright frightening. Overall, the e-moto’s acceleration is stronger and more constant than internal combustion machines, with no emissions and little sound.

Zero’s CEO Sam Paschel thinks the distinct electric motorcycle experience can convert gas riders

“We have what we consider enthusiasts…These are people that are avid motorcycle riders…What we find with them is they throw a leg over a Zero…have an electric motorcycle experience, it’s fundamentally different…They fall in love, they buy one,” he said.

Zero’s e-motos — starting at around $9K for the entry level FX — are also attracting a younger generation, according to the startup’s CEO.

“They’re an early adopter of new technology. They love the idea — whether it’s the performance elements the riding experience, green or eco elements of having electric vehicle — and we’re actually drawing them into the sport in a way that they wouldn’t have been drawn in by internal combustion,” he said.

Paschel is undaunted by Harley’s EV debut or the other big gas motorcycle manufacturers entering the E-market.

“You have a major OEM that’s launched a bike into the space that we have been defining and creating for over a decade. Of course, the nature of that relationship is fundamentally competitive,” he said.

“The question I get more often is…are we concerned? Are we worried or scared of any OEMs entering? And The answer is no. This is actually the most exciting thing that’s happened in the space in a long time,” said Paschel.

“A rising tide is going to lift all ships, and…I’m more than confident that we will capture more than our fair share of a rapidly growing market simply because this is all we do. And we spent 13 years, millions of miles, and a lot of time doing this just right.”

Both Zero and Harley are banking on e-motos to reboot a flailing U.S. motorcycle industry. New bike sales dropped 50% since 2008 — with sharp declines in ownership by everyone under 40.

Zero has worked to close gaps on price, range, charge times, and performance compared to petrol-powered motorcycles.

The startup is not alone. Italy’s Energica is expanding distribution of its high-performance e-motos in the U.S. Other competitors include California based Lightning Motorcycles and e-moto startup Fuell, with plans to release its $10K, 150 mile range Flow this year.

Of course, there’s already been some speed-bumps and market attrition, with three e-moto startups — Alta Motors, Mission Motors, and Brammo — forced to power down over the last several years.

Zero looks to its head start and proprietary technology to win in the electric conversion of motorcycles.

The company has also received partnership inquiries

“It’s not something that we are actively seeking…I will tell you that there’s a lot of inbound interest. I think people were waking up and realizing that that transition is much closer than they thought it was…We’ve had conversations from a list of OEMS, many of whom you would recognize,” said Paschel.

Still, Zero is likely to ride on alone, according to its CEO.

“Right now it’s an inherently competitive relationship with a lot of those guys, so it would have to be the right deal…But right now we’re fiercely competitive company. We’re in a competition with all these brands.”

ZERO SRF TC II Zero’s SR/F could be the sweet spot of tech, price, range, and performance it has been striving toward to finally go mass market and compete with those brands.

And with Zero and Harley growing e-moto market share, expect big names still on the sidelines — Honda, Ducati, Kawasaki — to debut production EVs soon.

With that, the electrification of the motorcycle industry will become another facet of the transformation of global mobility.

Inside Harley-Davidson’s EV shift with a ride on its LiveWire