Mission Motors is known to most of us for their Mission One electric motorcycle, but, when you’re working on that sort of thing every day, it only stands to reason you’ll come up with some pretty cool technology that could work in any electric drivetrain. So, Mission Motors announced MissionEVT, their high performance electric vehicle powertrain division.
Press release follows:
Las Vegas, Nevada, November 2, 2010 – Today at the 2010 Specialty Equipment Marketing Association Show (SEMA), Mission Motors, a San Francisco-based company best known for high-performance electric motorcycles, unveiled Mission Electric Vehicle Technology (MissionEVT), the company’s high-performance EV Powertrain Division.
MissionEVT will design and supply high performance EV powertrains, including energy storage systems, drive systems and software intelligence, to the OEM market. The division will also offer engineering and integration services.
“Mission Motors has made tremendous strides in innovating electric powertrain technology,†said Jit Bhattacharya, Mission Motors’ CEO. “With MissionEVT, our company will be able to expand into new markets, bringing the advances we have made in EV technology to multiple vehicle platforms and manufacturers. This creates a tremendous high-volume opportunity for Mission’s powertrain technology, while solving a critical need for vehicle manufacturers trying to keep pace with the rapid electrification of vehicles.â€
Since returning from the TTXGP, Mission Motors’ engineering team has been working hard to improve the Mission One, resulting in this performance milestone. Its top speed puts the Mission One into a category all alone: the world’s fastest street-legal pure-electric motorcycle, and adds to the list of firsts that the young company has already achieved.
MissionEVT is the result of Mission Motors’ work to develop its high-performance electric motorcycle, the Mission One PLE superbike. Because existing technology could not meet the speed, range, packaging and dynamic requirements of a truly high-performance electric motorcycle, the company developed new technologies in battery systems, motor control, and vehicle software management. These innovations made significant improvements to the weight, size, and modularity of these core electric vehicle components.
“Modularity is key to the MissionEVT solution,†says Bhattacharya. “It gives us the flexibility to improve the performance of a wide range of vehicle applications. MissionEVT can configure our powertrain technology to work for applications ranging from powersports to automotive, and from battery electric to gasoline hybrid.â€
Over the past year, Mission Motors has launched multiple partnerships to integrate its advanced powertrain technology into a variety of vehicles. The launch of MissionEVT represents a formal offering of Mission’s technologies and engineering services to major vehicle manufacturers.
Link: Mission Motors
Link: MissionEVT
WRXr says
Seems like a natural business extension. Also glad to see that there are so many advances being made on EV powertrains in such a short time.
I wish them luck.
B50 Jim says
When they offer an all-electric powertrain that I can retrofit into my Toyota pickup at a reasonable price, I’ll be highly interested. I’d have to run a 240v electric line to my garage but the conduit already is in place; it’s a matter of pulling a couple wires and installing a breaker and plug. At the rate EV technology is advancing, that might happen before everyone thinks. The problem will be what to do with my current engine and transmission; if everyone is swapping theirs for EV modules, those old internal-combustion powerplants will be useful only as scrap. As much as I love pistons and fire, it would be for the better.
hoyt says
I wonder if Mission’s product would work as a gas-hybrid for the heavy vehicle market (trucks, buses, etc.)? Those vehicles work all day while having the lowest mpg & need torque. FedEx? UPS? construction trucks?
@B50 Jim – think coffee table….
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2007/01/v8_coffee_table.html
Mule says
I think the motor has a kind of attractive, “Technical”, high function look. Too bad it’s hidden on their bikes! Be nice to be able to see it.
GenWaylaid says
Mission’s focus on modularity is excellent news for anyone who wants to build their own electric motorcycle. Builders of custom gas-powered bikes have plenty of parts bikes and performance parts to use. You don’t need to fabricate a whole engine in your garage, just adapt existing parts to work together in a new way. Building your own battery management systems, motors, and controllers for an electric custom is at least as difficult (maybe more so, since the technology has less history and more hidden/proprietary aspects). Conversely, adapting the electric parts to each other is likely to be easier. It’s still years away, but some day there will be enough electric motorcycles and performance parts like Mission’s around to create the first wave of electric customs.
Ken Fontenot says
I agree with Mule…..I like the Hi-Tech look. I wouldlLike to see figures on the cost of the motor and management system as well as info on and cost of the proper battery technology to run it. I think this could be made to look cool in the right chassis.
Azzy says
Should make for some interesting golf carts 🙂
I love this idea. Right now, you have a lot of issues trying to make a home-brew electric vehicle, but with a source for actual parts meant for realistic output, this opens many doors for the custom market.
Mark says
The biggest issue in this emerging field right now is cost. I don’t know what the price of this system is, but my guess, based on other similar systems offered by other companies, is easily over $20K. It’s all about volume, these systems are not mass produced, so there is no economy of scale. This is the classic catch 22 scenario, the price cannot be reduced until volume is drastically increased, and you can’t increase volume until the price is reduced.
B50 Jim says
Hoyt, thanks for the suggestion to use my IC engine for a coffee table after retrofitting my Tacoma with electrics. I don’t know how well it would go over with the lady of the house — maybe if I used just the bare block so the cats could hide in the cylinders, it would have a practical use.
Realistically, when practical, reasonable retrofits are available we’ll have to figure what to do with the ICEs. There’ll still be a market for them, but the situation might change very quickly — electric technology is one technological leap away from being a viable power source, and a lot of highly motivated people are working diligently to make that leap a reality.
Maybe I’ll try to obtain a scrap-metal franchise for all those old ICEs.