Current Motor Co. to open showrooms in Chicago, Brazil

Current Motor Co. plans to sell its electric motorcycles all across the Western Hemisphere this year, with plans to open showrooms in Chicago and Brazil this summer. The company launched in 2010 as the amibtion of local environmentalists and tinkerers John Harding and Erik Kauppi. The Ann Arbor-based start-up received venture capital investment from BELLE Capital last year, allowing it to mass market its electric motorcycles. Current Motor Co. plans to open its first U.S. showroom and service center in Chicago by Labor Day. It is also in the process of beginning sales in Brazil this week, taking on the third largest market for motorcycles in the world. Brazil only trails China and India, respectively, for motorcycle sales.  "We are looking at becoming a significant player in the electric motorcycle market," says Lauren Flanagan, executive chair of Current Motor Co. Flanagan and her team of 16 employees and three interns have been laying the groundwork for this launch for more than a year, signing partnerships with manufacturers and other key support firms. She says her firm, which has hired five people in the last year, is ready to meet the expected rush of consumer demand. "We have more scale than anyone in the industry," Flanagan says. "It's why we're launching early in Brazil." Source: Lauren Flanagan, executive chair of Current Motor Co. Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.