New business cruises into Robbinsville
Robbinsville – eMoto Powersports is open for business and ready to provide electric joyrides, near some of the most thrilling and scenic roads around.
An electric rental motorcycle business, eMoto Powersports opened Friday, Sept. 1. The business is co-owned by South Carolina’s Austin Ammarell, as well as Scott Harkless.
“It’s a new experience people haven’t had the chance to do before,” said Ammarell.
The closet dealerships to Robbinsville are Raleigh, Nashville and Atlanta, according to Ammarell.
eMoto Powersports has four electric motorcycles available to rent. Three of the bikes are Zero models and one is an Energica.
“Nobody really rents way-range, high-performance electric motorcycles in a mountainous area like this,” Ammarell noted. “That’s popular among motorcycle riders, so we started out small with four bikes.”
Ammarell added that the location has plans to expand in the future.
Rental times can be as short as two hours and the customer doesn’t have to bring the bike back fully charged.
Ammarell described one local customer who rented twice – two different bikes on two different days – to experience his favorite routes in different ways.
Daily rentals are also available for people to take trips and charge the motorcycle – with a provided 110-volt charging cable – near shops, restaurants or overnight.
eMoto Powersports also provides delivery and pickup services within a 75-mile distance from the shop. The areas within this distance are Maryville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Sevierville, Waynesville and Bryson City. The distance an electric motorcycle can travel on a full charge is 100-110 miles, depending on how often the driver speeds, according to Ammarell.
Ammarell’s passion for electric vehicles started in 2017 when he bought his first motorcycle, an electric Zero S to save money during community college.
He generated 80,000 miles on the Zero S. He would go on 300-mile road trips, stay in a hotel, return home and repeat the process again.
Ammarell also created the Electrics at the Dragon group – an annual gathering of electric riders from around the country – in 2020.
This is how he met co-owner of eMoto Powersports, Harkless.