We've seen more silly homemade electric vehicles than we care to remember, but Ben Nelson's electric motorcycle manages to retain some of its original two-wheel charm while using only a penny of juice per mile -- roughly the equivalent of 300mpg. Nelson bought the bike for $100 and swapped out the original engine for a Briggs and Stratton 8HP DC motor he picked up on eBay for $500, using four $160 Optima Yellowtop lead-acid batteries for power. Nelson says he can get the rig up to a top speed of 45MPH, and he's got a range of about 20 miles before he needs to plug in -- enough to run errands around town. Best of all, the state of Wisconsin willingly registered his bike as a "hobbyist" vehicle, which means he's free to (silently) roam the streets at will. Ben first built the bike about a year ago, so he's accumulated a ton of useful info if you're interested in following in his tire tracks -- hit up the read link to learn more, and check the video after the break.

Read - Nelson's build blog

[Via ecomodder]

Sure, we've seen all flavors of electric motorcycles over the years, but Matra's iteration takes a slightly different approach. The MS1 looks more like a bicycle and less like a Harley, and it provides commuters with a backup source of energy that should never fail so long as you're properly fed, hydrated and rested. That source, of course, would be your legs / feet, which can pedal this bad boy away long after the electric motor runs out of steam. Reportedly, the bike has a range of around 62 miles without any pedal assistance, captures usable energy when you apply the brakes, and sports a speed limiter that kills the juice just before you exceed 28mph. No word on when this thing will hit shops, but it'll supposedly run you around €3,500 ($4,951) whenever it does. Click out a couple more shots after the break.

Can't scrape together enough coin to pick up an electric whip? Fret not, as your options in the not-gasoline-powered motorcycle realm are quickly expanding. Enter Zero Motorcycles, which already offers a Zero X dirt bike for a mere $6,900, and hopes to unleash a street-legal commuter motorcycle soon that will be "slightly larger and more powerful than the Zero X" and will sport the obligatory lights and turn signals necessary for street riding. Currently, the off-road flavor will cruise 40 miles on a single charge, can be recharged in just two hours, can be shipped in a cardboard box, and reportedly accelerates beyond 30mph in "just a few seconds." And if you're just now daydreaming about how splendid it would be to take one of these out for a spin, be sure and visit the read link below to live vicariously through a few lucky CNET employees.

[Via UberReview]

Feel like cruising upwards of 93 miles-per-hour on a motorcycle without using a single drop of fuel? How about being absolutely certain that a great egret could hit your windshield without even fazing you? If you're in agreement with those two tidbits, Triumph's evDaytona looks to be the bike for you, as it can go zero to 60 in a mere 2.9 seconds, roll 143 miles on a full charge, and sports a five-year battery life to boot. This aluminum alloy-framed machine sports all the amenities you'd expect to find on your average motorbike, but throws in a ginormous windscreen and removes the need for fossil fuels along the way. Of course, the bike currently still needs DOT approval, and while we've yet to see anything definite on price, word on the street is that this here ride will run you about $77,000 whenever it actually launches.

[Via MotorBiker]