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Mission Motors All-Electric Motorcycle Breaks Bonneville Land Speed Record


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The Mission One all-electric superbike achieves a two-pass 150.059 mph record with individual passes at speeds of 161mph

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 15 -- Mission Motors, a San Francisco based company redefining the world of performance motorcycles, announced today that its zero-emissions Mission One electric superbike has claimed the national AMA top speed record for an electric motorcycle, achieving a record 150.059 mph two-pass average run sustained for one mile at Bonneville Speedway on September 1st, 2009. Lead up to runs for the record saw one-way speeds across the mile stretch at 161mph.

The record-breaking top speed was achieved at the annual BUB Motorcycle Speed Trials at the Bonneville Speedway, approximately 90 miles west of Salt Lake City, UT. This event offers world and national record setting opportunities to top contenders in many classes. The Mission One achieved a top speed higher than 70% of the gasoline powered entrants.

"I give the credit for this achievement to our extraordinary engineering team. We set this record on our first visit to the Bonneville Salt Flats on poor salt conditions and in high cross-winds. And to set it with our production prototype vehicle, not a custom Bonneville bike is truly amazing," said Edward West, Mission Motors Founder and President. "We've all known what was possible for the Mission One for some time, and to set this record is very gratifying. It's a watershed moment for electric vehicles and further proof that the era of the electric superbike has begun. Electric is no longer the future of high-performance motorcycling; it is the present."

Since returning from the TTXGP, Mission Motors' engineering team has been working hard to improve the Mission One, resulting in this performance milestone. Its top speed puts the Mission One into a category all alone: the world's fastest street-legal pure-electric motorcycle, and adds to the list of firsts that the young company has already achieved.

"The Mission One is just an incredible motorcycle," said Jeremy Cleland, the AMA and AFM racer who shares duties as both Product Manager and Test Rider at Mission Motors. "This is a bike that can rip up the track at Infineon Raceway, do power wheelies at 80 mph, and then come out here to Bonneville and dismantle the prior electric world speed record. It pulls hard all the way from 0 on up to 161mph, all in one gear, with incredible torque. It's a riding experience like no other. The important thing to understand is this is not a one-off race vehicle, this is a production prototype. It is the same bike that we raced at the Isle of Man and features the same powertrain that we will be delivering to our customers in 2010."

Mission Motors has targeted high performance and iconic design in the development of its first vehicle, the Mission One. With a top speed of over 150 mph, a 150-mile range and unparalleled access to torque, the Mission One surpasses the performance of other production electric motorcycles and rivals gas-powered incumbents. The Mission One's design, created by Yves Behar and fuseproject, blends traditional racing elements with a modern pioneering sensibility. The motorcycles are produced in San Francisco, CA with a radical commitment to environmental sustainability.

The company is selling 300 Mission One electric motorcycles in the 2010 model year, with the first 50 Premier Limited Edition models available for reservation now.

About Mission Motors:

Mission Motors is building the fastest production electric motorcycle in the world. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, the company combines innovative technology, iconic design, and superb performance with the freedom of a zero emissions riding experience. Mission's elite team of engineers is creating the first motorcycle company built on the innovative spirit of the Silicon Valley. The concept is simple: Redefine the world of performance motorcycles. For more information on Mission Motors, visit www.ridemission.com