BRABUS BUILT ITS FIRST ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLE AND IT LOOKS LIKE AKIRA

Brabus has been modifying Mercedes-Benz cars since 1977. They have tuned G-Wagons to 900 horsepower, built $500,000 Maybach conversions, and turned the S-Class into something that requires a dedicated insurance broker. Now they have made an electric motorcycle with a French company most people have never heard of, and the thing looks like it rolled out of Neo-Tokyo. ## 72 Volts. Three Models. One Platform. The partnership is with DAB Motors, a Bordeaux-based manufacturer that has been building electric bikes since 2018. DAB's 1-Alpha platform is the foundation for all three Brabus models. The specifications start with a 72-volt battery system, a brushless motor, and a range that DAB's standard models put at approximately 130 kilometers per charge. For context, that is enough for a full day of urban riding and nowhere near enough for a highway trip, which is fine because this bike was not built for highways. The 1-Alpha platform weighs approximately 110 kilograms. That is 70 kilograms lighter than a Harley-Davidson LiveWire and 40 lighter than a Zero SR/F. Light weight on an electric motorcycle is not just a performance metric. It is a design decision. The lower the mass, the more the designers can push the silhouette toward shapes that internal combustion engines cannot achieve. ## Kaneda's Bike Had a 1,234 cc Engine. This Has Zero cc. The Akira comparison is not internet hyperbole. The front fairing on the Brabus models drops low and wide, the seat position is crouched, and the overall proportions mirror the fictional motorcycle that Katsuhiro Otomo drew for his 1988 manga. DAB's design team has cited Akira in previous interviews, and the Brabus collaboration takes that reference from subtle to explicit. What makes the design work is that it is functional. The low center of gravity improves handling. The wide fairing provides wind protection at speed. The crouched riding position reduces aerodynamic drag. Every aesthetic choice has an engineering justification, which is how you tell a serious motorcycle manufacturer from a design studio with renderings. ## Brabus Without Combustion Is Still Brabus The brand identity question is real. Brabus built its reputation on making internal combustion engines louder, faster, and more excessive. An electric motorcycle has no exhaust note. It has no turbochargers. It has no cylinder count to brag about. What it does have is instant torque, zero emissions, and a maintenance schedule that makes combustion engines look medieval. Brabus entering electric mobility through motorcycles instead of cars is strategically intelligent. The motorcycle market is smaller, which means a limited production run feels exclusive rather than insufficient. The investment required is a fraction of developing an electric car platform. And the design freedom is greater because motorcycle buyers tolerate unconventional aesthetics that car buyers reject. ## €14,000 Base. Brabus Premium Unknown. DAB's standard 1-Alpha retails at approximately €14,000. The Brabus premium has not been announced, but the brand's car modifications typically add 100% to 300% above the base vehicle price. A Brabus electric motorcycle at €28,000 to €42,000 would position it against the Energica Experia and the LiveWire Del Mar, two bikes with more power but significantly less design ambition. The motorcycle industry's electric transition has been slower than the car industry's, partly because range anxiety hits harder on a vehicle you cannot plug into a Supercharger network. But the market that buys a Brabus anything is not optimizing for range. It is optimizing for the moment someone in the parking garage asks what you are riding.