So what's the average tax incentive on one of these? $13k is Ducati 848 territory. I dont know what the cost per mile on he Empulse is, but on an average 750cc+ gas bike, it is normally around 44mg. So @ $2.89/gallon it is roughly $.07/mile. I wonder what it costs to give the Empluse a full charge.
Performance wise it's in the Kawasaki 250R range - and that goes for $4k.
According to the site the battery is good for 2000 charges with an average 42 mile range. So you've got 16800 miles of battery (average).
That's about 6200 kW.h of electricity in total (minus conversion losses) - Here in South Africa that's about $700 worth, and we're told we've got cheap power...
At $3/gallon, that's 233 gallons, which should take the Kawasaki at least 233x52 = 12000 miles.
So you'll get 4000 miles more, but you'll have to replace the battery - which would probably cost more than 50 gallons of gas.
And that's after you've spent at least $4k more on the Bremmo.
I'll caveat up front that I'm not 100% sure on this: In Colorado the tax incentive is based on, a) the status of the vehicle in regard to powertrain (hybrid, ER-V or full EV) and, b) the price of a "comparable" gas-powered vehicle.
For example, the Tesla roadster qualifies for a massive credit because the comparable vehicle is a Lotus Elise and it's full EV. $108K for the Tesla, less the $48K for the Elise, multiplied by 100% (for full EV) gets you to a $50K+ tax credit (I think they subtract Federal tax credits from the eligible state credit, so this is the max credit opportunity).
So, following that, $14K for the Empulse, less $4K for the Kawasaki 250, multiplied by 100% for full EV brings the effective price down to the Kawasaki.
So, if I'm at all correct in this, the value proposition gets much better.
Of course, you garage your bike for 5 months of the year in CO, so there's a trade-off.
@sethmo If your favoring cost of ownership to a Ducati than I have news for you. I bought a Ducati 749 S back in 2006 and, while I love my bike, I have payed out the wazoo for maintenance on this fine machine. You need to get a full service on these every 6k. That's 1200.00 right there. I think the 848 is something more like every 7.5k. So now 13,000 miles later i have payed for that service twice 2,400 plus 80.00 every 6 months for oil changes. So just on that alone we are looking at (80 * 8) + (1200 * 2) = $3040.00 Nothing else has gone wrong but buying parts made in Italy can get very expensive if they do. Everyone compares gas to electricity prices in cost / mile... thats not even half the story... unless maybe you own a Jap bike, but still...
@Econ I live in colorado and I sure as hell dont garage my bike for 5 months. I also never ride in < 50 degrees. Regarding the credit, doesnt it expire jan 2011?
I love Ducatis, but everyone knows they are expensive to keep (maintenance wise). I had a 998 in Italy and i gotta say: i was happy when i got it, but also happy to trade in for a yama R1..
@Spiffster I wasn't comparing maintenance costs, just original price tags. I guess we can guesstimate, with the tax incentive, the Empulse could run you anywhere from 4-8k. You can get a Kawasaki 250R for $4k, EN-6R for $7k, or Yamaha R6 for $8k, or FZ6R for $7k. Which type of motorcycle is more cost effective has yet to be seen.
I owned a Ducati 748 for 3 years, the ownership price isn't too bad if you do the work yourself. I replaced the Tbelts and checked valve clearances and parts only ran me around $600.
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So what's the average tax incentive on one of these? $13k is Ducati 848 territory. I dont know what the cost per mile on he Empulse is, but on an average 750cc+ gas bike, it is normally around 44mg. So @ $2.89/gallon it is roughly $.07/mile. I wonder what it costs to give the Empluse a full charge.
@sethmo don't forget oil every 3000 miles or so. Not a huge cost factor, but a factor nonetheless. Most moto oils go for roughly $9 qt for synthetic.
@icepop77 I am just talking gas vs electricity. I am sure the Empulse has its own maintenance costs whatever those would be.
@sethmo
Performance wise it's in the Kawasaki 250R range - and that goes for $4k.
According to the site the battery is good for 2000 charges with an average 42 mile range. So you've got 16800 miles of battery (average).
That's about 6200 kW.h of electricity in total (minus conversion losses) - Here in South Africa that's about $700 worth, and we're told we've got cheap power...
At $3/gallon, that's 233 gallons, which should take the Kawasaki at least 233x52 = 12000 miles.
So you'll get 4000 miles more, but you'll have to replace the battery - which would probably cost more than 50 gallons of gas.
And that's after you've spent at least $4k more on the Bremmo.
Bit of a hard sell to be quite honest...
@Pyro Oh I messed up those calculations :p
Scratch that :p
84000miles from the 2000 charges --- messes up my whole ramble there :(
@Pyro
I'll caveat up front that I'm not 100% sure on this: In Colorado the tax incentive is based on, a) the status of the vehicle in regard to powertrain (hybrid, ER-V or full EV) and, b) the price of a "comparable" gas-powered vehicle.
For example, the Tesla roadster qualifies for a massive credit because the comparable vehicle is a Lotus Elise and it's full EV. $108K for the Tesla, less the $48K for the Elise, multiplied by 100% (for full EV) gets you to a $50K+ tax credit (I think they subtract Federal tax credits from the eligible state credit, so this is the max credit opportunity).
So, following that, $14K for the Empulse, less $4K for the Kawasaki 250, multiplied by 100% for full EV brings the effective price down to the Kawasaki.
So, if I'm at all correct in this, the value proposition gets much better.
Of course, you garage your bike for 5 months of the year in CO, so there's a trade-off.
@sethmo If your favoring cost of ownership to a Ducati than I have news for you. I bought a Ducati 749 S back in 2006 and, while I love my bike, I have payed out the wazoo for maintenance on this fine machine. You need to get a full service on these every 6k. That's 1200.00 right there. I think the 848 is something more like every 7.5k. So now 13,000 miles later i have payed for that service twice 2,400 plus 80.00 every 6 months for oil changes. So just on that alone we are looking at (80 * 8) + (1200 * 2) = $3040.00 Nothing else has gone wrong but buying parts made in Italy can get very expensive if they do. Everyone compares gas to electricity prices in cost / mile... thats not even half the story... unless maybe you own a Jap bike, but still...
@Econ I live in colorado and I sure as hell dont garage my bike for 5 months. I also never ride in < 50 degrees. Regarding the credit, doesnt it expire jan 2011?
@Spiffster
I love Ducatis, but everyone knows they are expensive to keep (maintenance wise). I had a 998 in Italy and i gotta say: i was happy when i got it, but also happy to trade in for a yama R1..
@Spiffster I wasn't comparing maintenance costs, just original price tags. I guess we can guesstimate, with the tax incentive, the Empulse could run you anywhere from 4-8k. You can get a Kawasaki 250R for $4k, EN-6R for $7k, or Yamaha R6 for $8k, or FZ6R for $7k. Which type of motorcycle is more cost effective has yet to be seen.
I owned a Ducati 748 for 3 years, the ownership price isn't too bad if you do the work yourself. I replaced the Tbelts and checked valve clearances and parts only ran me around $600.