THOUGH electric vehicles have been on the road in small numbers for more than a century, they have remained just over the horizon for mass market applications. But with automakers pledging to begin delivering E.V.’s in significant numbers in coming months, this year could prove a turning point.  The early entries, while limited in range, have the potential to become a killer app for commuters. Even more appealing to some whose daily trek involves reasonably short distances through crowded areas — myself among them — are the electric motorcycles already for sale.  I recently tested two of the main contenders now available in the United States. Brammo, based in Ashland, Ore., builds the Enertia, a $7,995 (not including shipping charges of $500-$600 to New York) bike that proudly wears the sleek cloak of high-end consumer electronics. Zero Motorcycles, based in Scotts Valley, Calif., makes the Zero S, a $10,495 machine with the trendy, if more conventional, look of a supermoto — a bike that combines off-road swagger with city-street functionality.  Both bikes are highway-legal machines with a high degree of polish. Each has a built-in charger, and the batteries can be replenished by plugging into a standard household outlet. And with no gears to shift or clutch to cope with, the bikes are well suited to the city — and to new riders.  But these bikes also point to some of the problems that may keep electric vehicles out of the mainstream for a bit longer.  Among those challenges is the lack of a dealership network. The Enertia, fitted with well-chosen components like Brembo brakes and a front suspension by Marzocchi, has been introduced with a novel sales strategy. Brammo is selling the bike at six stores of the electronics retailer Best Buy on the West Coast. More sales points are in the works, the company said. Zero’s models can be ordered online; test drives can be arranged using the company’s Web site at about 70 locations across the country.  The Enertia feels compact, and its relatively low weight of 324 pounds — 50 pounds less than a Kawasaki Ninja 250 — adds to its easy-to-manage sensation. With a 32-inch seat height, the bike is tall, but manageable for me at 6-foot-3. At speed, the Enertia handles well enough and even invites a bit of cornering adventure, but its turning radius — more like a heavyweight cruiser than a pothole-dodging city bike — was disappointing.  The start-up routine is computerlike. Turn the key, push and hold the start button in the center of the “gas tank” until the display lights up with the company name in LEDs. All that’s missing is the Windows chime.  One of the difficulties in developing electric vehicles is the tradeoff between preserving battery power and delivering performance. Rapid acceleration and high speeds empty batteries quickly, so manufacturers typically limit both. Brammo promises an “average range” of up to 42 miles; it takes about four hours to fully recharge.  But to approach that distance, you’d need to be cruising on flat ground without stoplights — and probably keeping it under 45 miles per hour. On each of several commutes from my home in Brooklyn to Midtown Manhattan, a distance of about seven miles each way, the Brammo’s display informed me I’d used half of the battery’s 3.1 kilowatt-hours capacity. On one trip to test low-charge performance, it cut off as I crossed Flatbush Avenue, leaving me to coast to the other side.  After shutting off the bike for a few minutes, it had enough juice to get me the remaining two blocks. Adrian Stewart, director of sales and marketing for Brammo, said this was consistent with the design intent: the gauge is meant to tell you when to recharge.  The Enertia’s seat gets uncomfortable quickly. And the charging routine is a real inconvenience: remove the key from the ignition; unlock the seat and remove it entirely to reach the charging port; insert the key back in the ignition and turn to the charging position; push and hold the start button until the display lights up again.  The Zero S, while more conventional looking, is superior on just about every measure of performance.
Machines from Brammo and Zero Motorcycles, two of the main contenders on the electric motorcycle market, illustrate the advantages and shortcomings of electric vehicles.