Harvest the Crop, Build the Chopper
Banatti is owned by Meep Inc. (short for Modular Energy Efficient Portage), whose CEO and Design Director is Christopher Paris Lacson. The Green Falcon was conceived as a technology demonstrator designed for a world in which petroleum-based fuels, industries and products are falling from favor.
The production process for crafting the Green Falcon’s body panels involves two-layers of bamboo sheeting of laminated with marine-grade epoxy resin. The panels cover the bike’s upper surfaces and provide weather protection for the storage batteries and electric motor.
The prototype motorbike has yielded promising results from initial real-world road testing. As expected, the bike’s light weight translates into greater range: around 43-49 km (roughly 28 miles) on a single full charge – not too shabby for a small commuter/recreational motorcycle! “Driving range for the electric motor would allow it to travel 60 kilometers (about 38 miles) if one is not hard on the accelerator,” according to Banatti. Speeds of up to 110kph (nearly 70mph) are possible but would be limited to 96.5kph (60mph) in the interest of safety and to comply with local speed limits.
