Mission Motors Racing in 2010
May 10th, 2010 by David Salguero
Greetings Mission Motors fans:
There has been some discussion on the Web recently about Mission Motor’s racing schedule in 2010 and we wanted to officially clarify our plans.
We were able accomplish two major milestones for our motorsports program in 2009: competing in the inaugural TTXGP, and shortly thereafter setting an AMA speed record at the annual BUB Motorcycle Speed Trials at the Bonneville Speedway.
Racing is the ultimate engineering crucible, and we used this experience to understand how our motorcycles perform at the limit.
Since then, our engineering team has been focused on meeting our production goals for the Mission One Premier Limited Edition, which we are planning to deliver to customers in mid-2011. It is an exciting and intensive process, and, as a result, we will not be racing at Infineon or TT Zero at the Isle of Man this June.
Azhar and his team have been greatly supportive of Mission Motors and electric motorcycle racing as an emerging sport over the last two years. We support them in their pioneering work to expand electric racing worldwide.
We commend Infineon Raceway for their work in putting on this event, and showing their support for electric racing, the future of motorsports.
We look forward to getting back to the track soon. It is our goal to unveil our second generation race bike late this season. In the meantime, we wish all the teams and series the very best of luck.
Mission Motors’ Newest Fan. . . He’ll Be Back?
March 19th, 2010 by Edward West
Greetings Mission Motors Fans! We just got back from the Green California Summit in Sacramento, a showcase of interesting green technologies and initiatives that are the cornerstone of California’s “green revolution.”
Our team had a great time checking out the many innovative companies in attendance. We also enjoyed fielding questions about Mission Motors, many of which focused on the Mission One Premier Limited Edition we had on display.
One attendee was particularly interested in the Mission One: Governor Schwarzenegger, who is an avid motorcyclist, made sure to stop by our booth to check out the bike he’d heard so much about in the run-up to his show visit.
He was intrigued by the look of the bike, the video footage of the bike at the track, and the sound of the motor (one benefit to electric bikes is that you can twist the throttle inside of a convention center).
After hearing that the handbuilt-in-San Francisco bike was available now for presale, he left us with the phrase “I’d like to visit your factory,” as one of his aides took a note of the Governor’s request. We’ll keep you posted.
Mission Motors is Hiring
March 11th, 2010 by Edward West
Are you passionate about solving difficult engineering problems? Are you committed to developing well-executed and fully-realized products? Would you like to change the world? If so, Mission Motors is looking for you. We are hiring Electrical Engineers and Software Engineers for roles in our San Francisco office.
On the software side, we are looking for people with experience in deeply embedded real-time software, embedded Linux systems, control systems, web services, and databases. In EE, we are looking for a power engineer with experience designing high-voltage (~500V) inverters and battery chargers. The right candidates have experience and interests in lithium batteries, electric motors and controllers, motorcycles, and speed.
This is an engineering team that is second-to-none. We are looking for people who are passionate about their work, and passionate about making a difference.
This is an opportunity to join a company that is changing the world.
Visit http://www.ridemission.com/company/careers for a more detailed description of who we’re looking for to fill these roles.
Mission Motors announces Change in Leadership
February 11th, 2010 by Edward West
Greetings Mission Motors fans.
As we find ourselves well into 2010 we wanted bring you up to speed about some changes in the company and some exciting things we have planned over the year.
Earlier today we issued a news release announcing that our long-time COO, Jit Bhattacharya, will be taking on the role of interim CEO of Mission Motors as we begin the search for a more permanent CEO (see www.ridemission.com/company/news ). Jit’s background in engineering, his experience as an MBA and former manager, and the fact that he has been with the company since early 2008 made him the obvious candidate to ensure that no momentum was lost as Mission Motors moves into the next phase of growth. The Board of Directors is actively looking for a CEO as we move towards production with the commercialization of the Mission One.
Forrest North, my co-founder, and the man with the dream that became Mission Motors, has been integral to everything this company has built since its inception. Under Forrest’s leadership we put ourselves on the map in 2009 with our company launch at TED, our participation in the first zero-emissions grand prix at the Isle of Man, and claiming the AMA electric motorcycle land speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
Mission Motors would never have come to be without the incredible fortitude of Forrest, and his absolute confidence that it was possible to create an electric superbike that rivals the performance of gasoline sportbikes. As the company shifts gears and prepares for production, it became clear that saddling Forrest with the day to day burden of leading Mission Motors was not playing to his strengths. Forrest’s visionary force will continue to propel Mission Motors forward into the future through his role on the Board of Directors.
Mission Motors is stronger than ever as we move into 2010. Beyond our potential partnership with motorcycle manufacturer Zongshen (see “Chinese Motorcycle Powerhouse Zongshen Eyes Mission Motors for Strategic Partnership”), we have exciting plans for the year ahead, including more details about our team’s commitment to electric motorcycle racing in 2010, our plans for new products, and our ongoing passion to design and deliver the fastest production electric motorcycles in the world.
