Alta Motors
 | |
| Company type | Privately held company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motorcycle manufacturing |
| Founded | 28 October 2010 |
| Defunct | 18 October 2018 |
| Headquarters | 185 Valley Drive, Brisbane, California , USA |
Key people |
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Alta Motors was a U.S.-based producer specializing in electric off-road and dual-sport motorcycles, headquartered in Brisbane, California.
History
In 2007, Derek Dorresteyn, whose family had longstanding ties to San Francisco’s motorcycle community, initiated the development of a bespoke electric motorcycle. He later joined forces with industrial designer Jeff Sand and entrepreneur Marc Fenigstein to establish BRD Motorcycles in 2010. The significance behind the acronym BRD was never publicly revealed.
By 2011, Alta recruited Viktor Pritzker, formerly the sales director at Vectrix. Two years later, Martin Eberhard, co-founder of Tesla, became an advisor to the company, strengthening its strategic direction. After obtaining financial backing, BRD transitioned to the name Alta Motors, a nod to its Northern California heritage.
In March 2018, Alta announced a collaboration with Harley-Davidson aimed at jointly developing electric motorcycles. However, six months later Harley-Davidson withdrew from the partnership to create its own research and development center in Silicon Valley. Subsequently, Alta engaged in funding discussions with Bombardier Recreational Products, but these negotiations did not succeed, resulting in Alta’s closure by the end of 2018. Following this, BRP acquired certain technological assets of Alta through creditor arrangements.
Products
- Redshift MX (entry-level motocross)
- Redshift MXR (high-end motocross)
- Redshift EX (entry-level enduro)
- Redshift EXR (premium enduro)
- Redshift SM (supermoto)
Although a Redshift SMR model was registered with the NHTSA for approval, it ultimately did not reach commercial release.
The Redshift chassis served as the foundation for the SilentHawk stealth dirtbike developed by military contractor Logos Technologies. In 2017, Alta introduced the Redshift ST prototype designed for urban riding and flat track racing applications.
Racing
Alta encountered obstacles obtaining official sanctioning to compete due to controversies distinguishing electric motorcycles from traditional combustion engine classes but managed to participate in selective high-profile competitions.
The Redshift MX made its professional racing debut in the 2016 Red Bull Straight Rhythm Lites category, advancing to the second round with rider Josh Hill. It returned for the 2017 event but was eliminated early. That same year, Alta received a special exemption to enter the SX2 class at Supercross events in Geneva and Paris-Nanterre; mechanical difficulties limited participation to Geneva’s Duel Cup race where Hill secured a victory over Ricky Carmichael.
In 2016, Alta competed in the AMA EnduroCross Championship with veteran rider Kurt Nicoll capturing his class win. By 2018, Pro rider Ty Tremaine joined the team and achieved the first podium finish for an all-electric motorcycle within an AMA professional series. Despite this success, Alta ceased operations mid-season and Tremaine subsequently signed with Beta. Both Tremaine and Lyndon Poskitt also raced Alta motorcycles at the 2018 Erzberg Rodeo hard enduro event.
External links
- Manufacturers of battery electric vehicles
- Producers of electric motors
- Manufacturers of electric vehicle batteries
- Motorcycle producers in the United States
- California-based motor vehicle manufacturers
- Vehicle manufacturing firms founded in 2010
- Companies located in California
- American brand names
- United States companies established in 2010
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment
- American companies established in 2010