Damon Motors has announced it has hit $90M in pre-orders for its eagerly anticipated inaugural electric motorcycles, the Damon HyperSport sportsbike and Damon HyperFighter naked.
First unveiled in January 2020, the Damon HyperSport is an ambitious opening gambit for the Vancouver-based firm - albeit one that has undergone a lengthy gestation period before hitting the road - and showcases an array of innovative details, both in its electric powertrain and packaging.
The result is a sportsbike boasting a 200hp, a 200mph top speed and a 200 mile range from its ‘HyperDrive’ electric power unit, which the firm says it will adapt for use in a range of future models, including smaller, more affordable models.
The company went on to reveal the firm's second model - the Damon HyperFighter - at the top of 2021, which will be available in limited numbers
With 3,500 orders already pending, they are statistics that have helped the sportsbike gather significant momentum in terms of pre-sale buzz, earning Damon a colloquial ‘Tesla of motorcycles’ mantle, in a nod to the roaring success and image changing impact of the American car company with the Model S.
“You can’t be the future of anything if you’re not better than the past,” says Co-Founder and CEO Jay Giraud. “It was necessary for us to target performance metrics as good or better than anything achieved before, otherwise people aren’t going to go electric in any meaningful numbers.
“This is the fundamental Achilles’ heel in the two-wheel EV industry so far. Nobody will trade in for an electric motorbike if it’s not as good as what they already have—people want to trade up.”
However, for all of the HyperSport’s impressive credentials with regards to electric power, it is in the area of rider safety that Damon is also especially committed.
Indeed, Damon initially came to prominence via Co-Pilot - 360-degree radar tech that uses a neural net and active AI to identify and predict hazards - which it had been refining in order to supply to mainstream manufacturers.
However, after discovering it was tricky to integrate into existing motorcycles, it set about developing its own model around it.
“We have to get to one-million units annually to put a dent in the industry and change it forever,” adds Giraud. “By coupling high-volume production with our 5G connected, sensor-enabled, self-learning compute system, we can make it so that every mile ridden on a Damon motorcycle makes all other Damon motorcycles smarter and safer with over-the-air updates.
“We can cause the accident rates to perpetually fall over the coming decade. This is our 2030 goal.”
With deliveries due to begin soon, Damon will initially roll out in North America, but plans are in place for it to begin sales in Europe soon.
