Despite an electrifying presence in the EV motorcycle space, Alta Motors has closed its doors.
All the promising reviews and podium placements achievable don’t always equate to enough cash flow to keep the doors open. In the wake of a promising few years for electric motorcycle company Alta Motors, it looks like for now they’ve run out of juice.
As of mid-October, Alta motors has shut the doors to the production and sales of its championship-winning electric bikes. This news falls in the wake of Alta’s unraveled deal with Harley Davidson from earlier in 2018. Originally Harley and Alta had planned a joint partnership that would bring to market two electric motorcycles under the Harley Davidson brand. For Harley, this would have been a strategic investment into new markets that might help breath some life into the somewhat stagnant Harley brand in America. For Alta, this would have been an incredible step up-into the resources and buying power that Harley holds globally. None of that matters now as the cards are all but off the table.
For an emerging brand in an emerging market, it was looking like Alta was off to an incredible start. Alta had initially secured a $27-million investment from Grassy Creek Ventures, this had helped to expand their promising future. Previous to closing their doors, they had developed distribution through 70 dealerships, more than 1,000 motorbikes sold in 2018, and a waitlist on production for 300 more. The brand was even making carbon-footprint-free history when it won the Geneva Supercross. Here rider Josh Hill was not only in the spotlight with an electric motorcycle. He had to borrow that bike off an Alta customer in Europe, as his bike had been caught up in some shipping issues. In the end, he won the race on the bike that had been lent to him, placing the electric motorcycle segment on the podium and in the spotlight.
The Alta Motors line included five motorcycle options:
2018 REDSHIFT SM
- 60-mile commuting range / 40-miles sport range
- 42hp. 38 lb-ft of torque
- 283lb weight
- $13495 MSRP
2018 REDSHIFT EX
- 50-mile commuting range / 4+ hours trail riding
- 42hp. 38 lb-ft torque
- 275lb weight
- $12995 MSRP
2018 REDSHIFT MX
- 4+ hours off-road / 3x 20-minute motocross heats
- 42hp. 38 lb-ft torque
- 265lb weight
- $10495 MSRP
2018 REDSHIFT MXR
- 4+ hours off-road / 3x 25-minute heats
- 50hp. 42 lb-ft torque
- 259lb weight
- $11995 MSRP
2018 REDSHIFT EXR
- 50-miles commuting / 3x 25-minute heats
- 50hp. 42 lb-ft torque
- 273lb weight
- $12495 MSRP
Alta’s line-up had seen up to 30 percent price cuts earlier in the year, and it now seems clear that it was more to clean house then to promote sales. For now, the online rumors are pointing towards Alta looking for other funding sources to revive the forward-thinking brand. With so much traction already gained by them in the electric field, it would be welcome news to report an electrifying comeback story.
