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At 140 miles an hour, Mission Motors' RS motorcycle sounds more like a spaceship than a race bike. Welcome to the future of electric speed.
As compared to their gasoline counterparts, electric motors have near-instant torque and linear power delivery, both important qualities when pushing a motorcycle to the limits of grip. Motherboard recently got to see just how effective the electric RS could be when we were given a demo by a former pro racer around a private race track in upstate New York.
Sure, the lack of an exhaust and the sweet fumes of race gas were a bit strange at first, but the quiet acceleration and plug-in power made up for the lack of internal combustion in the eyes of experienced riders trying the bike for the first time. And compared to the gas bikes that were also zipping around, it's clear that the RS is also near the top of the heap where it matters most: outright speed.
The bike costs about the same as a mid-sized sedan, starting at around $30,000 and up. It's a model similar to Tesla's: make not only the best EV possible, but one that can rival its high-end gasoline counterparts, and you'll find a healthy market of early adopters. Then, hopefully, some of that electric awesomness will trickle down to the rest of us.