Brammo, Inc. was an American producer of electric traction motors and traction batteries[1] based in Talent, Oregon, United States. Brammo also developed and sold a range of electric motorcycles via the company's website and motorcycle dealers throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia.[2]
On January 15, 2015,
Polaris Industries announced that it had purchased the entire electric motorcycle business from Brammo. Production of an electric motorcycle, the rebadged Victory Empulse, commenced at Polaris' factory in Spirit Lake, IA during the second half of 2015.[3]
It was announced on October 16, 2017, that Brammo's remaining assets would be acquired by
Cummins, with the deal expected to close by the end of the year.[4][5]
History
Brammo Motorsports began in
Shawnee Mission South, is 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) tall but has described himself as "long-waisted, so I sit like I'm 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) tall." Bramscher set out to design and build a car comparable to the McLaren Formula 1 car, but which would comfortably accommodate a 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) tall person weighing 300 lb (140 kg). On September 4, 2002, he registered the name "Brammo Motorsports" with the state of Oregon.[6]
Brammo began importing the Ultima Can Am in an attempt to understand at a basic level the components, tools, and processes needed to manufacture a complete vehicle. The company continued to import the cars from Ultima in component form, assemble them, and sell them to customers. Customers were offered "build journals," which enabled them to watch their vehicle being built in near real-time online.[7]
2004–2008
Enertia GT
The Enertia GT was a car planned for production, intended to be powered by a
Brammo applied for a trademark of "Pro GT" in April 2004.[9] Brammo finalized the design for the Brammo Motorsports Pro GT and hired Brian Wismann as the lead designer prior to building the prototype. The Pro GT prototype had a 600 cu in (9,800 cc) V12 engine producing 800 hp (600 kW). Brammo commissioned a six-speed transverse synchro-mesh gearbox with Xtrac, Inc., of Berkshire, England. They also built a custom Falconer V12 engine.[10]
Brammo changed the name of the Pro GT to the Rogue GT. They also imported some
In early 2005, Brammo purchased a license to produce the Ariel Atom, an exo-skeletal vehicle designed by Nik Smart while he was a transport design student at Coventry University. Brammo's license allowed the company to produce the vehicle for the North American market only. After it secured the license from Ariel CEO Simon Saunders, Brammo reverse-engineered the vehicle, making several improvements along the way, and began production. The company could not secure the Honda engines which were installed in the UK versions of the car, so it approached GM and was able to obtain the supercharged GM Ecotec engine, although a limited run of ten of the Atoms came equipped with Honda K20A engines. The company sold just over 130 of the cars during a 20-month period. Jay Leno bought one of them and wrote an extensive review of it for Popular Mechanics.[12]
Brammo's experience with building supercars, coupled with its research of electric drivetrains and then-current battery technology led to the belief that with the power-to-weight ratio and energy density of lithium batteries, an EV was possible, but that the vehicle's weight was a crucial concern. The decision was made to produce a lighter motorcycle.
Brammo focused on designing and building the Enertia powercycle prototype. After completing the prototype, the company met with investors and determined that Brammo Motorsports needed to become Brammo, Inc., and that it would thereafter focus fully on electric vehicles. The name "Brammo, Inc." was registered in August 2008.[6]
In September 2008, Brammo raised a $10 million round from Best Buy, Venture Capital, Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital, and others.[13]
2009
Best Buy sales agreement
In February 2009, Brammo announced that the Enertia would be sold at Best Buy stores on the West Coast, with a gradual roll-out to the electronic retailer's stores nationwide. Bramscher said, "what we're selling is a lot closer to consumer electronics than to transportation." He indicated that basic repairs and maintenance would be carried out by the Geek Squad crew while more intensive work would be performed at various service centers around the country.[14] The Enertia began selling at select Best Buy locations in August 2009.[15]