By Arpeni Mael, Editor-in-Chief

Dustin Roderigues is a mechanical engineering student at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth who was recently awarded the “Most Unique” award at the West Springfield Motorcycle show that was held on January 21 and 22 in Springfield.

Roderigues invented and built an electric motorcycle, and plans to market it through the company he founded, Tachyon Electrics. The motorcycle can go 38 miles on charge, and goes up to 70 mph.

The electric motorcycle is nearly silent, so he built in a sound keyboard that is keyed to the throttle so pedestrians and other drivers can hear him coming.

“People, who you least expect to be interested, were excited,” he said to The Herald News. “Old guys with beards down to their belts were interested.”

For him, this event solidified that the features he has built into this motorcycle are things that traditional bikers would want too.

He is still working on his prototype and setting up a company to market the machine once it is in production.

Photo Courtesy: The Herald News