American Motorcycle Dealer AMD 243 October 2019 | Page 22

NEWS
BRIEFS
Battery storage projects are
taking off in the US - the
country could triple its utility-
scale battery storage power
operating capacity by 2023. A
US Energy Information
Administration (EIA) update says
1,623 MW of new utility-scale
battery storage capacity is set
to come online by 2023, up from
a current total of 899 MW. Total
capacity is expected to be
around 2.5 GW of utility-scale
battery storage by that year.
Utility-scale battery storage
power capacity more than
quadrupled from the end of
2014 (214 MW) through March
2019 (899 MW).
A UK based start-up spun out of the
University of Cambridge claims a
breakthrough in electric car battery
chemistry that can charge in six
minutes and that they can
commercialize the new battery as
soon as 2020. Echion Technologies
says it has created a new powder
that replaces graphite inside Li-ion
battery cells and impressively
improves recharge capacity. "The
powders are the central component
of a lithium battery. This is a new kind
of powder." The start-up claims to
have a validated prototype and that
its new material can easily be
incorporated into existing production.
In another possible battery
chemistry advance, researchers
at Stanford University and SLAC
National Accelerator Laboratory
have developed a coating that
could make a long-held idea, the
rechargeable lithium metal
battery, a reality. It has long
been believed that lithium metal
batteries could be far more
efficient than lithium ion
batteries - unfortunately, they
have a tendency to explode due
to build-up of what are called
"dendrites." The new coating is
claimed to prevent short circuit
causing dendrites from ever
forming.
BRP has reported revenues
of $1,459.5m (+20.9%)
for Q2 with gross profit
of $327.8m (22.5% of
revenues) and up at net
income of $93.3m. The
company also confirmed completion
of the acquisition of 80% of the
outstanding shares of Telwater Pty
Ltd., a Coomera, Queensland
(Australia) based manufacturer of
aluminum boats under brands such
as Quintrex, Stacer, Savage and
Yellowfin Plate. President and CEO
José Boisjoli: "We delivered another
solid financial performance and
record second-quarter results, driven
by the success of Can-Am on- and
off-road vehicles, with our side-by-
side category driving robust growth in
North America and Western Europe."
22
Bonneville 2019 - "Best in Recent Years"
The American Motorcyclist Association
(AMA) congratulates the 41 riders who
set 50 provisional AMA national land
speed records and the nine riders who
set 10 provisional Fédération
Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM)
world records at the 2019 AMA Land
Speed Grand Championship on Aug.
24-29.
At the time of publication all the records
set during the event were still awaiting
certification by the AMA and the FIM
before becoming official.
Also known as the Bonneville
Motorcycle Speed Trials, the six-day
event drew hundreds of land speed
racers to pilot their motorcycles on the
famed Bonneville Salt Flats near
Wendover, Utah - the premier
motorcycle land speed racing
championship in the United States.
"This year's AMA Land Speed Grand
Championship was one of the best in
recent years," AMA Track Racing
Photo: Scooter Grubb
Manager Ken Saillant said. "Track
conditions were excellent, and we offer
our congratulations to all of the riders
who set records at the event. Promoter
Delvene Reber and her team at
Deliciate Promotions did an
outstanding job operating the event."
The AMA-sanctioned championship,
which also includes recognition from
the FIM, offers competitors the
opportunity to collect AMA national
and FIM world records aboard
machines ranging from 50 cc mini bikes
to 3,000 cc streamliners.
AMA and FIM record-setting riders are
recognized as AMA national champions
and awarded AMA National No. 1
plates. They will be honored as part of
the AMA Legends & Champions
Weekend in Columbus, Ohio, Dec. 6-7.
2019 FIM World Records (pending
ratification):
Corey Bertelsen, Suzuki, 168.197 mph in Group A1 Division A Type I Class 750 Multiple Cylinders
Trevis Richter, BMW, 195.646 mph in Group A1 Division A Type I Class 1000 Multiple Cylinders
J. Cole, Suzuki, 206.041 mph (kM course) in Group A1 Division A Type II Class 1600 Multiple Cylinders
Jay Allen, Harley-Davidson, 192.386 mph in Group A1 Division A Type II Class 2000 Twin Cylinders
R. Tsuruta, Mobitec, 204.484 mph in Group A1 Division A Type VII Class +3000kg Electric
E. Sills, BMW, 236.879 mph in Group A1 Division B Type I Class 1000 Hidecki Kusunoki, Harley-Davidson, 196.791 mph in Group A1 Division B Type I Class 2000 Twin Cylinders
Takushi Chikakane, Honda-Dacapo, 63.237 mph in Group A1 Division B Type II Class 50 Single Cylinder
Takushi Chikakane, Honda-Dacapo, 62.991 mph in Group A1 Division B Type II Class 125 Single Cylinder
Ralph Bohnhorst, SSC 1, 178.868 mph in Group B2 Division C Type V Class 1350 Multiple Cylinders
Multiple Cylinders
Tucker Powersports Builds
'House of Exclusive Brands'
Following the recent 'unwind' of the
Motorsport Aftermarket Group (MAG)
companies, "and with a new
leadership team firmly in place,"
Tucker Powersports has announced its
'House of Exclusive Brands'.
"The list of premium brands comprises
some of the most iconic names in
powersports with a history of high
quality, safety, innovation, riding
experience and attractive margin
opportunity," stated Sebastian
Bretschneider, CEO of Tucker.
"Having these brands as part of the
Tucker organization allows us to
continue our focus on creating
profitability opportunities for our
customers. Some of these high-quality
and innovative brands are generating
very significant 'pull' for our dealer
customers. Organizing them in a
'house' of brands creates positive
synergies to further strengthen the
brands in the market."
AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - OCTOBER 2019
ProTaper is the inventor of the
oversized diameter handlebar without
a crossbar, FirstGear has been a
pioneer in the adventure riding
apparel segment, and for 15 years
DragonFire has provided premium
side-by-side accessories that are now
exclusively sold through Tucker. Tucker
says that its "list of premium exclusive
brands complements the range of
other brands the company
distributes."
"Moving forward, Tucker will ramp up
its consumer marketing and
merchandising efforts for each of
these exclusive brands and focus on
inventory levels of the products and
Greg Blackwell, Chief Commercial
Officer at Tucker
product fitment that customers
demand at the dealership level,"
explained Greg Blackwell, Chief
Commercial Officer at Tucker.
"These brands have strong positions in
the market. Our dealer channels will
appreciate having exclusive rights to
them through our
Tucker
dealer
channel."
www.tucker.com
www.AMDchampionship.com