Mission Motors Electric Superbike Sails Past the Competition

We've covered San Francisco-based startup Mission Motors on several occasions over the past couple of years. The electric vehicle company earned its reputation for innovation with the Mission One all-electric motorcycle. In 2009, the Mission One broke the electric motorcycle land speed record, topping 161 mph on Utah's Bonneville salt flats. But that was just Mission Motors getting revved up. Last weekend, the Mission R "Superbike" won the TTXGP/FIM e-Power International Championship Race, completing the 8-lap course 39.9 seconds ahead of the nearest competitor. It was a fantastic weekend for the Superbike and its rider Steve Rapp. Records are meant to be broken, and Rapp earned pole position in the race by breaking the electric motorcycle lap record with a qualifying lap  of 1 minute, 31.3 seconds. The Mission R is breathing down the necks of its gasoline-powered counterparts. If the Mission R had been racing in the AMA Pro Supersport category against traditional gas burning bikes, it would have qualified in 5th place.

Today marks an important milestone for Mission Motors,” said Mission CEO Jit Bhattacharya. “Our company is working hard to close the gap between EV technology and combustion engines.  This marked a big step on the way to that goal.” The performance that we demonstrated this weekend is a testament to the electric powertrain technology that we have developed,” Bhattacharya continued. “Everything we learned and achieved on the track this weekend translates into powertrain improvements that we can offer to our partners who are using our technology.”

The original Mission One and it's successor Mission R serve as the company's development and demonstration platform, showcasing Mission Motors' EV powertrain components and software intelligence, available to all types of vehicle manufacturers. Mission Motors continues to pursue its vision of creating cutting-edge, sustainable, high performance electric vehicle technology. Their innovation is paving the way for others to follow and consistently proves that sustainable design doesn't have to mean compromise.