US$8000 electric motorcycle hits the streets in California

While we still have some time to wait before affordable mass-market electric cars like the Chevy Volt hit the market, there's other options available if you want to swap the petrol station for the power point to handle your daily commuting - like this US$8000 electric motorcycle from Electric Motorsport. The GPR-S goes between 35 and 60 miles on a full battery, while offering performance levels similar to a Honda CBR125 and a top speed of 60-70mph.

Charging the GPR-S from a standard power outlet takes around 4 hours from empty (or 1.5 hours if you spend extra on a quick-charge unit), and the bike uses a mid-mounted engine and chain drive to maintain a fairly conservative and traditional motorcycle body shape, instead of going for a wheel-hub mounted engine such as that used in the Vectrix Electric Maxi-Scooter we tested last year.

At US$8000 it's around $1000 cheaper than the Vectrix in the United States, reflecting the Vectrix's use of high-spec Italian chassis componentry, but the GPR-S is still expensive for a motorcycle that only makes 19 horsepower. Still, electric vehicles are extremely cheap to run compared to their petrol counterparts, so the GPR-S may well evolve into an economic option when used daily across a year or two.

More pics and specs over at TheBikerGene.

Loz Blain