As a teen, CMC founder John Harding won on a popular British TV game show, “Blockbusters.” The prize: A race car driving course at Silverstone (a famous British racing circuit). And so began Harding’s love affair with powerful vehicles.
What inspires you most about CMC’s mission?
I like the ability to march to the beat of our own drum and to challenge folks (ourselves included) to make a positive impact. We’ve only got one world and a limited supply of resources so we’d better use them efficiently.
What is CMC? What do you do?
We’re an electric vehicle manufacturing company. As dopey as it sounds, I supply vision and big picture direction and problem solving. I also do the software in the bikes and a ton of other things like procurement an legal registrations.
Where do you see CMC in five years?
I hope to see us as a recognized name in the scooter industry. Ultimately, I want us to be seen as the Vespa for the iPod generation.
Why do you hate gas so much?
Actually, I don’t hate gas. I do hate waste. I do hate big companies skewing the facts (car companies and oil companies). I hate the artificially low price of gas in the United States. But gas itself will be here for a long time yet. We just have to use less of it. For the vast majority of journeys gas isn’t necessary. I want to make things more efficient so that we can have a more sustainable society.
When did you first start tinkering with cars, motorcycles and / or other machines?
My earliest memories would be “helping” my older brother work on his motorcycles when I was about 10.
What do you love most about electric vehicles? Why do you think they’re the wave of the future?
EVs are just plain better. It’s the old KISS principle at work. Gas engines are incredibly complex and getting more complex every year as extremely clever engineers make them more efficient and cleaner (but it’s all relative because gas engines are inherently inefficient and dirty — you can’t make a silk purse from a sow’s ear. That complexity comes at a cost. Electric motors are dirt simple by comparison.
They will be the wave of the future because when folks realize that they don’t need 120 mph and 300 mile range to commute or go grocery shopping, they’ll see the convenience benefits of electric. Far less maintenance. Never having to go to a gas station. No smell. No noise.
Describe your first experience with an EV. What was your first impression?
A cheap Chinese import called an XM-2000 by X-Treme. First impression was actually pretty positive. For the price and for the person willing to jump through a few hoops, this little bike could be used for clean commuting. But I knew that most people would never jump through those hoops or be prepared to compromise in some of the ways you have to with the XM. That’s why CMC was born.
How does a CMC bike compare to others in the marketplace?
We concentrate on what we think is important to the customer: affordability and practicality. From that basis, we’ve built a great bike with great features at a great price. To put it another way, if you don’t build a useful EV or you build one that’s too expensive, you’re not really doing anything to address the need.
What are you most proud of in your professional life?
Building a stong and cohesive team of green engineers who developed and delivered an extremely complex product where several others before had failed.
How long have you been riding motorcycles? What do you love about riding?
I’ve been riding since I was 16. I love the sense of independence, the exhilaration and the affordability. Most $8,000 sports bikes perform as well if not better than $100,000 sports cars.
The very first time I rode a motorcycle was a friend’s junior sized dirt bike when I was about 11 or 12. I remember pulling a wheelie and being scared witless (too much gas and letting the clutch out quickly). I only rode a couple of times before I was 16 when I got a moped and my first motorized independent transport.
