As automobile companies around the world look to electrify their fleets, a Colorado startup is taking on the task of building an all-electric, high-powered motorcycle.
The idea struck Anthony Cross nearly two years ago as he sought to get back into riding motorcycles. As an avid rider in the past, he wanted to pick the hobby back up, but do it on an electric bike.
As he scoured the market, he was unimpressed by the offerings. Bikes were either underpowered, lacked long-range batteries or came in at a price outside of his budget.
“A lot of them are embellished mopeds, a little underpowered, but being sold as motorcycles,” he said.
So he reached out to longtime friend and engineer, Chris Shipman, and began talking through what he’d envisioned in a bike.
After a year and a half of modeling, design and planning, the company is prepared to produce its first prototype electric bike that it says combines performance, safety and affordability.
Zaiser Motors was born.
“If you do get an electric motorcycle that fulfills all that criteria, it’s exorbitantly expensive, which is the problem we’re trying to solve,” Cross said.
The company’s Electrocycle is a twin-hub electric motorcycle with a 300-mile range, that is expected to cost less than $25,000. And, on the performance end, Cross said the team expects the electrified motorcycle to top 120 mph.
Since the idea for Zaiser in fall 2019, Cross and a five-person team have worked extensively on the design and modeling of the bike.
“Right now, we’ve done just about everything we can do without a cash infusion,” he said.
So, they’ve launched an equity crowdfunding campaign to raise the funds necessary to build the company’s first prototype.
They recently launched a campaign on Wefunder, seeking to raise as much as $500,000, that will go toward the development and testing of prototypes. Cross said he hopes to have a working bike for CES 2022, the nation’s premier trade show for the electronics industry.
From there, he hopes Zaiser will be able to begin taking its first preorders for the Electrocycle.
Zaiser is not alone in its push to develop an electric motorcycle. Harley-Davidson announced that it would spin out its electric motorcycle division at its own company, titled LiveWire. The company is set to debut the new electrified bike in July.
It’s no coincidence that motorcycle companies are beginning to look electric, as Cross said battery technology has made giant leaps in recent years. With that in mind, he’s optimistic about Zaiser’s mission.
“The possibilities in the very near future are very, very exciting,” he said.
