F1 Champ Mika Häkkinen Teamed Up With Verge Motorcycles on All-Electric Road Rocket
In the motorbike space, avant-garde design is often the domain of custom builders specializing in one-off creations, but then there’s Verge Motorcycles. Since 2019, the Finnish atelier has been producing electric superbikes—its leading design feature being the hubless rear wheel wrapped in a Ducati Diavel–like 240-section rear tire that encapsulates the electric motor. Now, for its latest limited-edition model, Verge has partnered with countryman Mika Häkkinen—the two-time Formula 1 World Champion.
“The collaboration started early this year after Mika joined our advisory board and invested in the company,” says Henri Vahakainu, co-founder and COO of Verge Motorcycles. “Right after that, we decided to create something together, a motorcycle that could be an exclusive and bold statement of luxury, power, and innovation . . . available only for a select few who seek the ultimate riding experience.”
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Resplendent in a two-tone silver-and-black finish—reminiscent of Häkkinen’s championship-winning McLarens of 1998 and 1999—and limited to 100 examples, the Mika Häkkinen Signature Edition makes 136 hp and 737 ft lbs of torque. And the 540-pound bike is claimed to have a top speed of 124 mph and 350 miles of range, performance specs owed to the same electric motor and battery platform used in Verge’s TS Pro model.
The bike’s ability to recharge is as impressive as its range. An electric motorcycle’s efficiency is limited by battery design. The motor and reduction gears—required to propel the machine—take up a lot of usable space, which forces manufacturers that use traditional electric power trains to rely on high-energy-density cells in order to achieve good range and performance. The reality of lithium-ion battery technology is that the higher you go in energy density, the more you sacrifice in power capacity and charging performance. With Verge’s design, however, the electric motor is encapsulated in the rear wheel. That configuration allows for more space in the frame to be dedicated to the battery, which enables higher-power-capacity cells to be used.
“Fast charging speed is usually measured from zero-to-80 percent state of charge [SoC],” says Vahakainu. “Our zero-to-80 percent time in the TS Pro [again, same platform as the new model] is 35 minutes, and that is achieved with an average of 25 kw of charging power. We achieved this kind of power with all the battery’s cells still comfortably under their maximum capability to accept charge, so there is potential to further improve our charging speed.” By comparison, many manufacturers struggle to attain 80 percent charge in under one hour.
The chassis hardware is similarly top-grade, with Öhlins providing the fully adjustable suspension and Brembo supplying its monobloc four-piston brakes. According to Vahakainu, the finished product, which is priced at about $86,000, is “a stunning and innovative electric motorcycle that embodies the spirit of Häkkinen’s racing legacy.” Verge plans to open U.S. operations late in 2023.
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