At a motocross track on a ranch outside of Austin, Texas, cows and horses roam freely. They watch unperturbed as motorcycles whiz around them in the dirt, registering mostly disinterest. The bovines and equines don’t know they’re witnessing the debut of Can-Am’s first motorcycles in 50 years: the all-electric Pulse and Origin models.
Can-Am, a $10.4 billion powersports manufacturer with nearly 20,000 employees worldwide, is leaning into the launch of its first motorcycles since 1973. At the same time, the Bombardier Recreational Products company is pushing into a space that isn’t yet well established: motorbikes without their distinctive fuel-fed roar.
“Electric motorcycles are still super new,” says Can-Am’s global brand manager for on-road products Marc-Olivier Drouin. “We’re at the beginning of the story, like electric cars were in 2018.”
In other words, the forecast for electric motorcycles is sunny and mild, with a strong chance of rapid adoption.
City streets or dirt: take your pick
Like the pastoral scene in Texas, these two-wheeled vehicles are quiet. So quiet, in fact, that it may be a little unnerving for motorcycle fans accustomed to the typical vroom vroom sounds. At a stoplight, you can turn to your riding buddy and hear them clearly, which is delightful. The ride itself is silky-smooth, accelerating quickly and effortlessly.
Can-Am anticipates a big uptake from new riders on these motorcycles, and it’s easy to see why. Electric motorcycles require almost no instruction—turn it on via a sequence of safety steps clearly highlighted on the screen, flick your wrist to activate the throttle, and you’re off. That said, here’s your public service announcement: Take a motorcycle safety course before swinging your leg over a motorbike. Please.
Both the Pulse and the Origin offer the same amount of power—47 horsepower—and share several components. These include the 8.9 kilowatt-hour liquid-cooled battery, a 6.6 kilowatt-hour charger that re-juices the motorcycles from 20 to 80 percent in about 50 minutes using a Level 2 charger. As such, these are easy charge-at-home options. The Pulse is made for the city, with a range of 100 miles, while the Origin can go for 90 miles on urban streets.
I’m a relatively new rider, and the Pulse with its 30.86-inch seat height was perfectly comfortable for me (I’m five feet, five inches tall); I found it easy to put my feet down at a stop. On the other hand, the Origin’s 34-inch seat height was made for people with longer legs than I have; experienced riders will likely have no problem with it, but laying down a 400-plus-pound bike wasn’t on my to-do list.
Technology and fabrication improve weight and efficiency
Director of design and innovation for Can-Am’s on-road products Alain Massicotte says the shape of its new motorcycles is inspired by a snowy owl. In its natural form, the shape of the bird of prey is elegant and aerodynamic. Look at the lines of the electric motorcycles, and you’ll see the wingspan of the owl from the handlebars back to the seat. A bit of trivia: The snowy owl’s scientific name is Bubo scandiacus; the word Bubo is Latin for “horned owl” and fans of the original Clash of the Titans movie will remember that Perseus’ wise mechanical owl was named Bubo. That Bubo wasn’t gas powered, either.
Nearly every part of the Pulse and Origin was designed and built by Can-Am, including the software. Massicotte, who has been with Can-Am for nearly 30 years, says multiple challenges arose while designing these motorbikes. At the top of the list is the structural battery, which uses an alloy diecast developed in house for that purpose. This design creates a lightweight architecture, as components could be attached directly to the battery case instead of additional framing.
“The electric machine is mounted to the swing arm as unsprung mass,” says the director for EV research and development Andre Gilbert, who has been working on this project for five years. “Typically, you don’t want unsprung mass on a motorcycle because it affects the vehicle dynamic. But this is so close to the pivot point, it keeps it tight.”
Can-Am opted for GaN (gallium nitride), a higher-performance material than the typical silicon carbide (SiC) battery. Gilbert says using GaN allowed Can-Am to make a more efficient and lighter bike. Both bikes offer a regen mode: by twisting the throttle in the reverse direction, the rider sends the AC current back through the inverter for DC storage in the battery.
Using digital tools, the manufacturer analyzed the two-wheelers in myriad ways before creating a physical model. Then they strapped the test version to a machine that basically shakes, pulls, and vibrates it to see how far they can push it.
The range caveat
Several months ago during a snowmobile testing session with Ski-Doo (Can-Am’s cold-weather sibling under the BRP umbrella) I learned about the company’s electric sleds, which share a battery with the Pulse and the Origin. The idea of powering through Yellowstone National Park on a quiet snowmobile is quite appealing; however, its limitations are significant. The Grand Touring model can go up to 31 miles and the larger Expedition 18.6 miles when the battery is at 100 percent, and charging takes about 90 minutes on a Level 2 charger. That’s under optimum conditions–Ski-Doo says the range may vary depending on conditions, and that mileage is based on a max speed of 15.5 miles per hour.
Can-Am’s e-motorcycles offer three times that amount, which is good news. The average commuter will find that 100 miles is plenty of juice for several back-and-forth trips in the lighter Pulse before charging. Dirt bike fans may find the Origin’s range disappointing if they want to go hard all day on a motocross track, but casual riders should be satisfied.
Still, these new electric motorbikes offer an appealing option for those looking for a quiet, simple ride without the complications of a gearbox or clutch. That’s something new riders, especially, will appreciate, and that’s what Can-Am is hoping. By making nearly all of its components in-house, Can-Am has a tighter control over its future, and you can expect to see greater improvements in the next iteration.
The Can-Am Pulse starts at $13,999 and the Origin is $500 more for a starting price of $14,499.
