Verge opens US pre-orders for its hubless electric motorcycle with 25 minute charging
The Verge TS is one of the most revolutionary new electric motorcycles hitting the market thanks to a wild design for the drivetrain. It was previously only available in Europe but has now opened reservations in the US after showing off an updated model known as the TS Ultra at CES 2023.
The Verge TS Ultra improves upon the already impressive performance we’ve seen in the past from the TS and TS Pro models.
The bike retains a similar drivetrain made up of a hub-less rear wheel motor. That’s right, it’s an in-wheel motor but it’s not a hub motor, since there isn’t actually a hub to the wheel.
Instead, the motor’s copper core and magnet ring are housed in the outer portion of the wheel.
It’s a complicated design that pays off in more than just the aesthetics department. Putting the motor so far out from the wheel’s axis of revolution helps increase the torque.
That gives the Verge TS Ultra an impressive spec sheet, touting a peak power of 150 kW (201 hp) and a peak torque of 1,200 Nm. For the rest of us, that’s a massive 885 stump-pulling foot-pounds of torque!
The bike is speed limited to 200 km/h (124 mph), but that’s of course faster than anyone really needs for use on public roads.
Riders may not get a chance to feel that top speed very often, but they can enjoy the intense acceleration on every start. With that much power, the Verge TS Ultra boasts a 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) time of just 2.5 seconds. The single-speed drivetrain means that performance is reproducible with every launch as there are no gears to quickly shift through.
That extreme acceleration beats out other high performance electric motorcycles like the LiveWire One that offers a slower 0-60 mph time of 3.0 seconds (imagine calling that a “slow” time).
The company hasn’t listed a battery pack size for the TS Ultra but claims a maximum range of 223 miles (359 km). That’s likely the city range, but it still rivals the longest ranges offered by market leaders like Zero Motorcycles.
Riding at highway speeds could see that range figure cut nearly in half, though the bike’s DC fast charging option will ensure speedy recharges on longer trips. Verge quotes a recharging time of just 25 minutes during fast charging, though fast charge times are usually measured on a nearly complete charge, such as 15-85%. Charging rates slow down near the end of the charge cycle to prolong the life of the battery.
There’s plenty of competition from flagship electric motorcycles in the US market already, but Verge is betting on its futuristic design and high-performance figures to help it score a slice of that pie.
As the company’s CEO Tuomo Lehtimäki explained:
“We are currently working on entering the US market in select states and hope to start sales and deliveries in 2023. We see a lot of potential in the market, and the wait of bike enthusiasts will soon be rewarded with even more powerful and futuristic electric motorcycles.”
The Verge TS and TS Pro have slightly more muted specs, though the performance is still sporty with a 0-60 mph time of 4.5 and 3.5 seconds, respectively. The TS starts at $26,900 while the TS Pro is priced at US $29,900. The highest performance TS Ultra model is significantly pricier at US $44,900.
A $100 reservation lets you begin configuring a bike and holds your spot in line ahead of anticipated US deliveries later this year.
Electrek’s Take
I’ve been following the Verge TS electric motorcycle for something like 4-5 years now, at least. I’ve seen it transform from pretty ideas on paper into a beautiful example of far-out design meets talented engineering.
Few electric motorcycles that begin with this level of out-of-the-box design actually make it onto the road, and so watching Verge bring these motorcycles to life in Europe and rack up riding miles has been quite rewarding.
Are they expensive? Hell yea they are. I probably won’t own one anytime soon, but at least they start out in line with other flagship electric motorcycle prices. And by including features like DC fast charging, they’re actually a step ahead of many other electric motorcycles that are sorely missing such in-demand options.
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British Columbia got its first 400 kW DC fast charger last week at Canadian C-store chain On The Run, but that’s not the good part. As part of a limited time offer, these chargers are FREE!
The Canadian convenience store chain just took the wraps off its new, ABB-developed, 400 kW chargers earlier this month, but they’re already planning to bring the ultra-fast 400 kW dispensers to at least four more locations in BC this spring, and have them online just in time for the summer road trip season – something On The Run hopes its customers will appreciate.
“The A400 charger delivers an enhanced customer experience, with reliability and performance from a 32-inch screen to higher power charging sessions and power sharing,” reads the company’s official announcement, via LinkedIn. “Download the Journie Rewards app to start the charge – free for a limited time.”
On The Run’s new 400 kW ABB DC fast chargers are compatible with CCS and CHAdeMO plugs, and can accommodate Tesla and other NACS-equipped vehicles with an adapter. That said, the company seems to imply that Tesla drivers in particular will have a maximum charging speed of “just” 50 kW, which feel hilarious (given the current state of affairs between Tesla and the Canadian government), but probably isn’t.
In addition to the ABB A400 400 kW units shown here, On The Run locations also employ the ABB Terra 184 dispensers rated at 180 kW. On The Run plans similar deployments at the four BC locations mentioned above, as well as two more each in Quebec and Ontario slated to go live towards the end of this year.
Electrek’s Take
Tesla’s controversial CEO Elon Musk once mocked 350 kW charging speed as being “for a child’s toy,” despite the fact that, nearly nine years later, his own cars and Superchargers can barely make it to 325 kW while others have sailed right on past. I made fun of that fact on the Quick Charge episode shown, above – and, while I do think it’s funny and relevant, the much more relevant piece of news here is that companies like BP Pulse, Revel, and Wallbox are actively deploying 400 kW solutions, today (while others hit the same mark as far back as 2017).
It’s just a fact: Tesla has fallen way behind.
SOURCE | IMAGES: On The Run, via Electric Autonomy.
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Terawatt Infrastructure‘s first medium- and heavy-duty electric charging truck stop in California is now online, in Rancho Dominguez.
Located 12 miles north of the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, the private Rancho Dominguez site, which is shared among multiple fleets, will support electric trucking fleet operations in and out of the largest container ports in the US.
First customers include Dreaded Trucking, Hight Logistics, PepsiCo, Quick Container Drayage, Southern Counties Express, Tradelink Transport, and WestCoast Trucking & Warehousing.
Terawatt’s electric charging truck stop features 20 pull-through and bobtail DC fast charging stalls with a capacity of 7 megawatts (MW), enabling charging for up to 125 trucks per day using a simple reservations system. Terawatt’s site features a proprietary charge management system, in-house technicians, 24/7 customer service, and onsite parts management.
“This launch underscores growing collaboration between enterprises, shippers, carriers, and charging infrastructure providers to advance sustainable technologies across logistics and transportation operations, especially in the medium and heavy-duty sectors,” said Neha Palmer, CEO and cofounder of Terawatt. Palmer added that the company will bring another charging site online in Rialto, California, in June.
Terawatt joined some of the world’s largest shippers and carriers in September 2024 to launch the I-10 Consortium heavy-duty EV operations pilot, the “first-ever US over-the-road electrified corridor.” Terawatt is providing charging infrastructure, including software, operations, and maintenance support at six of its owned charging hubs along the I-10 corridor.
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In its most aggressive attack against offshore wind yet, the Trump administration halted the $5 billion Empire Wind 1, already under construction off New York’s coast.
Norwegian developer Equinor announced yesterday that it received notice from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) ordering Empire Wind 1 to halt all activities on the outer continental shelf until BOEM has completed its review. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum posted this tweet yesterday:
Burgum gave no indication of what insufficiencies there were in the approval process for the fully permitted offshore wind project, despite Trump’s recent declaration of a national energy emergency that speeds up permitting processes.
The commercial lease for the 810-megawatt (MW) Empire Wind 1’s federal offshore wind area was signed in March 2017 during the first Trump administration. It was approved by the Biden administration in November 2023 and began construction in 2024.
The project is being developed under contract with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). Empire Wind 1, which was due to come online in 2027, has the potential to power 500,000 New York homes.
“Halting construction of fully permitted energy projects is the literal opposite of an energy abundance agenda,” said American Clean Power Association CEO Jason Grumet in a statement. “We encourage the administration to quickly address perceived inadequacies in the prior permit approvals so that this project can complete construction and bring much-needed power to the grid.”
As Electrek reported, Equinor secured $3 billion to finance Empire Wind 1 in January. The total amount drawn under the project finance term loan facility as of March 31 was around $1.5 billion.
As of March 31, Empire Wind has a gross book value of around $2.5 billion, including South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (pictured above), which was expected to become the US’s largest dedicated port facility for offshore wind.
In response to BOEM’s stop work order, New York Governor Kathy Hochul issued the following statement:
Every single day, I’m working to make energy more affordable, reliable and abundant in New York and the federal government should be supporting those efforts rather than undermining them. Empire Wind 1 is already employing hundreds of New Yorkers, including 1,000 good-paying union jobs as part of a growing sector that has already spurred significant economic development and private investment throughout the state and beyond.
As Governor, I will not allow this federal overreach to stand. I will fight this every step of the way to protect union jobs, affordable energy and New York’s economic future.
Equinor says it’s considering appealing BOEM’s order.
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