Los Angeles, Ca
This all-electric motorcycle looks like it's out of a sci-fi movie
A new motorcycle from a startup named Verge is ditching the loud rumble for something sleeker, silent, and fully electric.
The design is reminiscent of something you would see in a sci-fi movie.
“We wanted to make motorcycling and the riding the best ever experience that you can have,” said Pekka Parnanen, COO of Verge Motorcycles.
The 5-year-old company is opening showrooms at Westfield Century City Mall in Los Angeles, San Jose, London, Monaco, and Germany to sell the Verge TS Pro, their entry-level all-electric motorcycle.
The battery is placed where the engine would be on a gas-powered bike, and what’s unique is that the motor is in the rear rim of the hubless tire.
“The stationary part is the inside of the rim and the rotation part is the outside of the rim,” explained Parnanen.
If that sounds complicated, it really isn’t. Basically, the electric motor spins the wheel, but from the outside, not the inside, like in traditional transport.
This keeps the center of gravity low.
“It doesn’t feel as heavy as it is… maneuvering that in the low speed cornering it doesn’t feel like it tips over,” said Parnanen.
There are also no gears to shift, making it easier to ride. The bike has a Tesla-style card key to start it up, and when you do, the first thing you notice is that it’s completely silent.
“If you’re riding in the city, you can actually talk to your friend who’s got the same kind of a bike,” said Parnanen.
The Verge TS Pro gets over 200 miles on a charge and the Tesla charging port will be supported at launch. Supercharging will take about 30 minutes while plugging in at home will take about 6 hours.
The motorcycle has four riding modes, including Zen, Range, and Beast, which unlock full power and speed. You can also set a custom ride type.
Pricing starts at $29,900 with deliveries in early 2025. As for those hestiant to the EV revolution?
“People said that no it’s not going to happen but now when you look at [cars] there’s tons of them. The same thing will happen with motorcycles,” concluded Parnanen.
Los Angeles, Ca
Palisades Fire in Los Angeles scorches 2,921 acres; many homes burned
Tens of thousands of residents in the western Los Angeles area remain under mandatory evacuation orders Wednesday morning after a wind-driven wildfire exploded in size Tuesday and swept through communities in the Pacific Palisades.
The Palisades Fire was first reported around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in the 1100 block of North Piedra Morada Drive. By evening, the fire had exploded to more than 2,900 acres with no containment and was expected to keep spreading amid hurricane-force Santa Ana winds.
The latest CalFire updates can be found here.
There was no initial estimate for the number of structures damaged or destroyed. However, news footage showed dozens of homes and other structures ablaze.
Evacuations were ordered for the entire Palisades community down to the Pacific Ocean, according to CalFire. During a Tuesday afternoon press conference, officials said more than 10,000 homes in Pacific Palisades and Malibu were affected by the evacuation order. Evacuation warnings also extended into areas of Santa Monica and Calabasas.
An evacuation shelter for people and pets was established at the Westwood Recreation Center at 1350 S. Sepulveda Boulevard.
Dozens of Los Angeles County schools will be closed Wednesday due to the fire. A comprehensive list of closures can be found here.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Pacific Palisades is located about 10 miles from Malibu, where the Franklin Fire burned more than 4,000 acres and burned several homes after erupting during similar windy conditions in December.
Palisades Fire Resources: LAFD Alerts | CALFIRE Incident Page | LAFD on X
Los Angeles, Ca
Palisades Fire threatens Southern California cultural touchstone
As the more than 2,900-acre Palisades Fire rages, a Southern California cultural touchstone – the Getty Villa along Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades – is threatened.
In a statement, President and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust Katherine E. Fleming said the villa was swiftly closed Tuesday morning to non-emergency staff and irrigation was deployed throughout the grounds.
Fleming added that extensive measures to clear brush from the surrounding areas had taken place earlier in the year as part of the villa’s fire mitigation efforts, though some trees and vegetation on the grounds have burned.
“Museum galleries and library archives were sealed off from smoke by state-of-the-art air handling systems,” the statement noted and added that the double-walled construction of the galleries provides significant protection to the priceless collections housed in the museum.
Villa officials extended their gratitude for the tireless efforts of first responders.
“We, of course, are very concerned for our neighbors in the Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and the surrounding areas,” the statement adds.
Los Angeles, Ca
L.A. officials announce preparedness measures ahead of ‘most significant windstorm in more than a decade’
Wild weather – including rain, snow, high winds and dangerous fire conditions – is how Southern California is starting 2025, and officials in the L.A. are taking no chances ahead of the adverse conditions.
The National Weather Service has described the windstorm hitting SoCal as “life-threatening,” “extreme” and “destructive,” and snow flurries were seen Tuesday morning in mountain communities; further inland, rain showers caused slick roadways.
In L.A., Mayor Karen Bass announced Tuesday morning that the city has activated its Emergency Operations Center to a Level 2 to ensure the safety of all Angelenos.
“Parts of the Los Angeles region will potentially face one of the most significant windstorms in more than a decade, and I urge Angelenos to continue monitoring the storm and stay vigilant and safe,” Mayor Bass said in a statement. “Power outages as a result of downed power lines, increased fire risk and falling trees and debris should be expected during this time and the impacts and dangers of a windstorm should be taken seriously.”
The mayor’s office released a list of resources and helpful information for residents to use during the windstorm:
- Reporting and tracking power outages: Visit www.ladwp.com/outages or call 1-800-DIAL-DWP (1-800-342-5397)
- Reporting blocked roadways: Service can be requested through www.lacity.gov/myla311 or by calling 311; Angelenos are also encouraged to download the MyLA311 mobile app
- Red Flag Warning updates: Check www.lafd.org/redflag for the latest updates; Red Flag parking restrictions have been in place since 8 a.m. Tuesday and are set to last until further notice
- Outage updates: LADWP will regularly update their X page to inform residents of power outages
- Weather updates: Click here for the hyperlocal forecast for your community, or visit the National Weather Service for the regional forecast
- In case of emergency: Dial 911
In addition to downing trees and causing power outages throughout the region early Tuesday morning, the dangerously high winds are already fueling brush fires in the area, including one that erupted and was later contained in the Santa Ana Riverbed in Colton around 5 a.m.
A much larger and more rapidly spreading vegetation fire broke out around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in L.A.’s upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood. By noon, area residents were being told to prepare to evacuate as it spread to over 200 acres in about an hour.
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