“Well, I was wrong about Hydrogen. The advent of the LiFePO4 battery at scale proved it. And the success of the Li-Ion chemistry made it undeniable” - Ernest Eich

In 1999, I was introduced to the Hydrogen Economy, and boy was I hooked. It made so much sense on the surface - make hydrogen from water, turns back into water when you're done with it. I built a coalition of support in Telluride, Colorado and was on the way to launching a hydrogen fuel institute and fueling system there. Complete, with hydroelectric power donated by the owner of a private 1MW hydroelectric plant and the local power co-op wiling to transfer it to our electrolizers for no charge. It was going to be awesome!!

Well, that was wrong. The advent of the LiFePO4 battery at scale proved it. In the course of only a few months I was able to drive the most advanced Honda FCX fuel cell car and then, a Tesla Roadster. That was all it took to realize the technological hurdles of hydrogen - tons of energy needed for compression, boil-off issues during transport, slow cycle times for fueling stations, leaky by nature, and extremely flammable at all points of use. Plus, is still uses a battery to buffer the energy from a fuel cell to drive the car. It was just too much compared to the simplicity of direct electric drive and using the electrons as electrons.

Now that we’ve arrived in yesterday’s future and battery technology is on the verge of yet another leap forward, the advantages of batteries continue to win over the complexities of on-board fuel cell systems. But even these seemingly advanced Lithium chemistries will seem like Nikola Tesla’s paper-wrapped carbon batteries in a another decade.

—Mountain Zen, and the Motorcycle—

In Colorado early 2000s I learned to ride a motorcycle – a solid fit with my natural vehicular abilities and professional income operating a wide range of cars, trucks, limousines, construction equipment, and off-road tour machines. Plus, what a place to ride a motorcycle! Now to resolve that noisy BANG machine between by feet…

As I began to form the idea for an electric motorcycle into something physical, the constant evolution of the power source was at the root of my thoughts. The design required an intrinsic adaptability for energy-tech advancements. Batteries would evolve, and might move beyond a battery or fuel cells in a swift leap of new thought.

My initial inspiration came from the frustration of an old bike I couldn’t get running. The carburetor floats and jets had been touched by so many people – and the no-title machine was dropped and hammered so much anyway – I was doubtful it would ever turn over. But when I stripped it down, I could see beneath the form of the machine to find a new function – as a converted Electric Motorcycle.

That was Spring 2011. In just a few weeks, and with several rolls of duct tape spent, I had a basic form for the adapters to easily bolt a massive battery pack onto the frame of my Electric Motorcycle. But there were only a few prismatic lithium cells to design with, all outside the budget of a driveway engineer and with a 30-40% known DUD rate… So I refined my design, and waited as the technology was developed and brought to common production.

Now almost a decade later, I am proud to offer the first edition of our custom electric motorcycles from Shandoka, llc. The patented system will open the door to the rescue of many excellent motorcycles from the scrap-bin, and serve as a basis for an all-new motorcycle system to meet a wide range of user needs.

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I am thrilled to be able to bring these great machines from drawing board and hobby garage to the winding, hilly roads of the real world. While the journey continues to form in front of us, I hope you’ll bookmark the page and join our monthly newsletter list to grab our postcards from the journey.

Gather the Storm!

Ernest P. Eich IV