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Former Harley-Davidson Bigwig Returns with New Electric Motorcycle Company

Fuell Flow Fluid
Fuell

Erik Buell’s name was once a staple in the motorcycle world. His racing pedigree and penchant for building rad V-Twin-powered sportbikes made him known the world over. However, in the last decade, his name has been all but stricken from the public’s collective consciousness. Partially due to Harley-Davidson’s fall from grace and profitability, and partly because of some ill-timed ventures, Buell’s been out of the motorcycle game for some time. Now, he’d like to make a comeback with an all-electric motorcycle company called Fuell. Get it?

Buell is making this phoenix-like rise from the ashes based on two forthcoming electric motorcycles developed in-house by himself, mobility expert Francois-Xavier Terny, and Fred Vasseur, who is currently the team principal of the Sauber Alfa Romeo F1 team. The two motorcycles are actually classified as mobility solutions, but one looks to be a street-going motorcycle to compete against bikes like Zeros and Harley-Davidson’s forthcoming LiveWire, while the second is tailored to the urban riding public.

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Let’s start with the second. Called the Fluid, the mountain bike-esque electric cycle features a 980wH battery pack capable of giving it a range of about 125 miles per charge. Torque is capped at about 77 lb-ft which will give the vehicle a healthy dose of oomph when you twist the electric throttle. Pricing is said to come in at around $3,295, which isn’t out of line with other electric motorcycles having similar specs. But given the racing history and technical know-how of both Vasseur and Buell, the electric motorcycle may be the more interesting proposition.

Dubbed the Flow, the electric motorcycle looks to have similar attributes as a modern upright cruiser, though with a style that’s definitely future-forward. Centered around either a 10kW or 35kW battery pack, the Flow has a theoretical range of 125 miles per charge, similar to the Fluid, but it can use a fast charger for a full range return in just 30 minutes. According to the company’s website, the Flow will set customers back around $10,995, which again, isn’t unreasonable. In fact, compared to its Harley-Davidson counterpart which is priced at $30,000 and doesn’t offer much more in terms of range or usability, Fuell’s Flow is a bargain.

Full technical specs haven’t been released yet, but according to the company, those details should be dropping soon. What we do know is that Fuell is aiming at a release for the Fluid by the end of this year, while the road-going Flow aimed at delivery for early 2021. If the motorcycle is as good as Buell’s previous offerings, we’re in for an electric revolution. We can’t wait.

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The pandemic changed plans for everyone, including motorcycle designer Erik Buell. In 2019, Buell unveiled a set of electric two-wheelers, a bicycle that would become the Flluid-1S and a motorcycle that was renamed the Fllow under a new company called Fuell. While the bicycle has been on sale since last year, the Fllow hasn’t made it to market yet. Buell’s original plan was to bring the electric motorcycle to market in 2021. But then the COVID-19 pandemic happened and threw a massive wrench into things. With the world, at least from an electric mobility front, returning somewhat back to normal, Fuell is relaunching a pre-order campaign for the all-electric Fllow motorcycle through Prelaunch.
For a $200 deposit, shoppers can get first dibs on purchasing a Fuell motorcycle and $2,000 off MSRP. The electric motorcycle has an estimated target price of $11,995 and deliveries are expected to begin in early 2024. The good news is that the Fllow looks just as striking as the concept that Fuell showcased in 2019, resembling something that’s out of Cyberpunk 2077. The motorcycle’s specs look pretty promising, too.

The Fllow is primarily meant to act as a more enjoyable, efficient way for urbanites to get around, but still packs a punch. The electric motorcycle features an electric motor that’s integrated directly into the rear wheel and a battery pack that’s integrated into the chassis. The Fllow-1S has a 47-horsepower electric motor and a monstrous 553 pound-feet of torque. The motorcycle has a top speed of 85 mph, and thanks to a relatively light weight of 400 pounds can get to 62 mph from a standstill in 3.5 seconds. The bike’s 10-kWh battery pack offers an estimated range of 150 miles in urban driving. Fuell will also offer the Fllow with a 15-horsepower engine, though we’re not sure if that model will come to the U.S.
The 400-volt architecture allows the Fllow to go from 20% to 80% charged in less than 15 minutes when plugged into a 50-kW CCS fast charger. Going from an empty battery pack to a fully charged one takes less than 30 minutes. One of the cooler things about the Fllow is that it’s upgradeable. So, if you want more power, you can get a larger motor swapped in. Need extra range? A larger battery pack can be dropped into the SUV. The Fllow can keep up with your changing needs as more tech becomes available.
Early adopters will find plenty of tech features with the Fllow. The electric motor comes with a front-facing camera for anti-collision, blind-spot monitoring, a rear camera, and ABS. There’s an LCD screen that acts as the dashboard, and it can be connected to the rider’s phone, as well as the cloud. The dashboard has all of the pertinent information you need and can run apps, like navigation, that can be upgraded through over-the-air software updates.

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