Brammo Advances Progress for Electric Vehicle Equality

November 3, 2009

Electric vehicle equality message gains audience with The White House and key members of Congress

ASHLAND, Ore., Nov. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of a wildly successful grassroots journey, Brammo, maker of plug-in electric motorcycles, is urging the United States government to grant equality in federal funding for all electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers. Currently, most federal funding has been limited to companies producing EVs with four wheels.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091103/AQ03976)

To press this case, Brammo's Founder and CEO, Craig Bramscher, met with members of Congress last week and with Energy Secretary Dr. Steven Chu at the Clean Energy Economy Forum hosted by The White House. The meetings were part of an effort to present policymakers Brammo's commercially-available emissions-free motorcycle at a time when the government is looking for clean transportation solutions.

"We want to thank The White House and Congress for their support of clean transportation policy to date," said Bramscher. "Most of the funding, however, continues to go to companies that lag in innovation. Meanwhile, the Brammo Enertia powercycle is available online and at select Best Buy stores today despite federal discrimination for two-wheeled vehicles. We plan to fight for funding equality for our promising industry."

Best Buy senior vice president of Emerging Business Rick Rommel, who accompanied Bramscher to The White House said, "Best Buy is committed to supporting customer adoption of clean energy technologies by making it convenient for them to learn about and see these exciting alternatives within our stores. We appreciated this opportunity to share our perspective with leaders in Washington, and look forward to a continuing dialogue."

The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed an Amendment to the Advanced Vehicle Technology Act giving two-wheel electric vehicle manufacturers access to Department of Energy funding for further development of electric vehicles. It is expected that similar legislation will be introduced in the Senate, and, if passed, will help accelerate the emergence of electric vehicles as a clean energy transportation option, without favoring four-wheeled vehicles over two- and three-wheeled vehicles.

Brammo's grassroots journey, titled Shocking Barack, involved two Brammo Enertia riders who followed the same route from Detroit to Washington, DC that was taken last December by the Big Three auto executives as they asked Congress for a bailout. The goal of the Shocking Barack voyage was to present President Obama a homegrown solution to the country's transportation crisis. The tour, which continues to attract a vocal crowd at Twitter, will be transitioned into a campaign to call for equality in federal finding.

Even with limited federal support, Oregon based Brammo has grown from 12 employees to more than 50 in last year with much of the growth in high tech positions.

To learn more about Brammo's efforts and its business, please visit www.brammo.com for more information.

About Brammo

Brammo (www.brammo.com) is a premier specialty vehicle manufacturer developing sustainable performance products for the next generation of transportation. Through integration of digital engineering and high impact design, Brammo transforms ideas into compelling products. Located in Ashland, Oregon the company was founded in 2002 and is privately held.

SOURCE Brammo