This Futuristic Motorcycle Can Power an Entire Home

An e-mobility company has made a "motorcycle of the future," one that not only is a marvel of sophistication in design and ergonomics but can also power an entire home.

The Johammer J1 was designed by Johann Hammerschmid, founder of Johammer e-mobility company GmbH. The vehicle is distinctively shaped like a giant peanut, a horse, or a prewar Junkers airplane. He said he opted for such a design choice to "return" to the concept of the horse before pollution from engines.

According to Bloomberg, around 60 Johammers have been around Europe since 2014. An interesting feat is that it is the first electric motorcycle to cover more than 300 kilometers on a single charge.

However, what's more interesting is that its next generation sibling may double as a battery storage for solar power panels while parked. Akin to a Tesla Powerwall on wheels, a prototype is now being tested in Switzerland.

According to its crowdfunding website, a campaign has just started to raise funds for its expansion. Hammerschmid also explained that he already thought of building an electric vehicle back in 2007, and was at first a weekend project. 

This is when Hammerschmid has free time from his Nordfels GmbH, which solves complex engineering problems. His team of less than 40 makes factory lines for food, drug, and farm industries. 

Interestingly, the new prototype now has a polypropylene body cladding and the unconventional center-hub steering, which is a system created a century ago but was never widely embraced. 

The bike's top speed is pegged to around 75 miles an hour to avoid energy sapping wind resistance. Its acceleration is fun but not fast but is a hallmark of clever engineering, nonetheless.

For instance, it has no dashboard but has instead data on rear-view mirrors. A reverse twist of the throttle turns the drive motor into a generator that acts as a break and quickly removes speed. The system is so efficient that disk brakes are relegated to helping with slow-speed stopping.

It's even got a reverse gear for parking. The safety-certified items such as wheels, tiles and brakes are all gathered commercially, while the rest is in-house. 

There are currently two versions of the J1 available. The top spec J1.200 costs $26,750, which is capable of traveling 125 miles on tough terrain and 186 miles urban. It takes 3.5 hours to charge, but it can be blast charged in 80 minutes. 

Its battery is assembled at the factory from more than 1,200 individual cells that can hold 12 KW hours, close to the Powerwall's 14 kWh. There are plans for a sidecar model that can allow bigger battery and increased range.