Powered by a 12.8kWh battery, the 200-horsepower Wattman accelerates from 0 to 100mph in 5.9 seconds. The Paris show also features more conventional motorcycles from BMW, Yamaha, Honda, and more. December 6, 2013 6:54 AM PST Voxan Motors debuted its massive Wattman battery-powered motorcycle at the Salon de la Moto in Paris. The 772-pound, 200-horsepower machine has a 12.8kWh battery. (Click to enlarge.) (Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET) PARIS -- The usual suspects like Honda, Yamaha, and BMW were at the Salon de la Moto, but the motorcycle that really stood out was a massive all-electric machine called the Wattman from Voxan Motors. The French company debuted the unusual machine here at the sprawling show dedicated to motorcycles, scooters, and off-road four-wheelers. Although bystanders gave it a lot of attention, don't expect it to unseat any of the industry's incumbent players: they'll be built by hand, one at a time, for an "exclusive international clientele." For a full gallery of the machines at the show, check CNET's photo gallery from the Salon de la Moto. Salon de la Moto, Paris' motorcycle show (pictures) 1-2 of 27 Scroll Left Scroll Right Related stories High-tech Skully helmet: A Google Glass that's born to be wild Smart motorcyle helmet cushions you from concussion Brammo raises $28M for electric motorcycles The history of BMW's 'ultimate driving machine' (photos) The Voxan Wattman is a hulking machine, weighing 772 pounds and stretching 7.7 feet long. But it's powerful: its 200-horsepower motor, with torque of 200 newton-meters, outclasses a Ducati Monster 1200S whose 1,998cc engine produces 106 horsepower with torque of 113Nm. It'll accelerate from 0 to 100mph in 5.9 seconds. Its top speed is 106mph. A view of the Voxan Motors Wattman's rear wheel and suspension. (Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET) The 12.8kWh battery, enough for a range of about 110 miles, is hidden away behind inside an aluminum exoskeleton, a smooth surface that contrasts strongly with most motorcycles' combustion-engine complexities. It takes less than 30 minutes to charge the battery to 80 percent capacity using a high-voltage, the company said Voxan was founded in 1995, but Gildo Pallanca Pastor acquired it in 2010 and is trying to use the Voxan to revive the brand name. Pallanca Pastor also is the chief of electric vehicle maker Venturi Automobiles, whose designer Sacha Lakic also designed the Wattman. Voxon Motors' Wattman has a swooping seat and a belt-driven rear wheel. Its top speed is 170kph, or 106mph. (Click to enlarge.) (Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET)
Powered by a 12.8kWh battery, the 200-horsepower Wattman accelerates from 0 to 100mph in 5.9 seconds. The Paris show also features more conventional motorcycles from BMW, Yamaha, Honda, and more.
Voxan Motors debuted its massive Wattman battery-powered motorcycle at the Salon de la Moto in Paris. The 772-pound, 200-horsepower machine has a 12.8kWh battery. (Click to enlarge.)
(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET)
PARIS -- The usual suspects like Honda, Yamaha, and BMW were at the Salon de la Moto, but the motorcycle that really stood out was a massive all-electric machine called the Wattman from Voxan Motors.
The French company debuted the unusual machine here at the sprawling show dedicated to motorcycles, scooters, and off-road four-wheelers. Although bystanders gave it a lot of attention, don't expect it to unseat any of the industry's incumbent players: they'll be built by hand, one at a time, for an "exclusive international clientele."
For a full gallery of the machines at the show, check CNET's photo gallery from the Salon de la Moto.
Related stories
- High-tech Skully helmet: A Google Glass that's born to be wild
- Smart motorcyle helmet cushions you from concussion
- Brammo raises $28M for electric motorcycles
- The history of BMW's 'ultimate driving machine' (photos)
The Voxan Wattman is a hulking machine, weighing 772 pounds and stretching 7.7 feet long. But it's powerful: its 200-horsepower motor, with torque of 200 newton-meters, outclasses a Ducati Monster 1200S whose 1,998cc engine produces 106 horsepower with torque of 113Nm.
It'll accelerate from 0 to 100mph in 5.9 seconds. Its top speed is 106mph.
A view of the Voxan Motors Wattman's rear wheel and suspension.
(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET)
The 12.8kWh battery, enough for a range of about 110 miles, is hidden away behind inside an aluminum exoskeleton, a smooth surface that contrasts strongly with most motorcycles' combustion-engine complexities.
It takes less than 30 minutes to charge the battery to 80 percent capacity using a high-voltage, the company said
Voxan was founded in 1995, but Gildo Pallanca Pastor acquired it in 2010 and is trying to use the Voxan to revive the brand name. Pallanca Pastor also is the chief of electric vehicle maker Venturi Automobiles, whose designer Sacha Lakic also designed the Wattman.
Voxon Motors' Wattman has a swooping seat and a belt-driven rear wheel. Its top speed is 170kph, or 106mph. (Click to enlarge.)
(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET)
