Canada's Damon unveils smart, connected motorcycle at CES 2020

Canada-based Damon Motorcycles, which claims to have developed the world's smartest, safest, and most powerful electric motorcycle christened 'Hypersport', has unveiled it at the CES 2020.

The Hypersport is an electric superbike which is equipped with Damon’s 'CoPilot' tech, which is an advanced warning system powered by BlackBerry QNX technology, is claimed to set a new standard in motorcycle safety, awareness and connectivity for a new generation of motorcyclists.

The company says the critically acclaimed Hypersport is the most anticipated electric motorcycle of 2020 and has already received a CES 2020 'Best in Innovation' award.

The Damon Hypersport comes with over 200hp and 200nm of torque delivered at zero rpm, a top speed of 200mph (322kph) and a range of more than 200 highway miles (322km) per charge, the Damon Hypersport is slated to become the most powerful long-range motorcycle ever. Pricing begins at $24,995 (Rs 17.95 lakh) before US state and federal EV tax credits.

Commenting on the unveil, Jay Giraud, co-founder and CEO, Damon Motorcycles said: “We are on a mission to unleash the full potential of personal mobility for the world’s commuters, while reducing rider incidents on the road. To address this, we spent the last three years developing an AI-powered, fully connected, e-motorcycle platform that incorporates CoPilot, our proprietary 360deg warning system. By building it on BlackBerry’s best-in-class technology that is safety certified, Damon motorcycles will be the safest, most advanced electric motorcycles on the market.”

The company says the Damon Hypersport comes with a new level of motorcycle performance, safety and comfort with its CoPilot 360deg advanced warning system, which uses cameras, radar and other sensors to alert riders to threats. Featuring an onboard neural net, these same sensors also collect and tag traffic behaviour, road conditions and rider intent data. With its embedded 4G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity suite, Damon aggregates this data in the cloud to improve overall system performance with over-the-air (OTA) updates sent back to each Damon motorcycle. Damon Motorcycles say just like 'Tesla, updates are approved by each Hypersport’s owner before going live onboard.'

Dom Kwong, co-founder and CTO, Damon Motorcycles said: “We prioritised data-driven thinking at the epicentre of the company, employing radical innovations in sensor fusion, robotics and AI. This level of deep learning and connectivity are unprecedented, ensuring each rider a smarter, safer and connected ride; not only for individuals but for entire communities, with the goal to reduce incidents worldwide.”

The major highlights of the Damon Hypersport include:
CoPilot - an advanced warning system powered by Blackberry QNX technology that uses radar, cameras and non-visual sensors to track the speed, direction and velocity of up to 64 moving objects around the motorcycle.

Shift – Damon’s patented rider ergonomics that lets riders electronically adjust the Hypersport’s riding position while in motion.

Hypersport’s powerful all-electric performance.

Hypersport’s embedded 4G connectivity and onboard AI.