Canada's NorthForge Builds the Dispatch: An Electric Military Motorcycle With 1-Minute Battery Swaps

Canada's electric vehicle industry has expanded onto the battlefield: Canadian manufacturer NorthForge has introduced the Dispatch, a fully electric tactical motorcycle built for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance work in extreme conditions. The bike claims a range of about 200 kilometres (125 miles), speeds up to 109 km/h (68 mph) and a weight of roughly 140 kilograms (308 pounds) — the same general class as a 300cc gas-powered enduro bike.

Three batteries, swapped in under a minute

The Dispatch runs on three swappable battery packs supplied by SysNergie, a Canadian company. Each pack can be replaced in under a minute, and the motorcycle keeps operating even if only one of the three packs is installed and working. For military logistics, that means fresh power can be carried to a bike rather than the bike being towed to a charger — the same logic driving battery-swap programs in commercial fleets.

The motorcycle can carry up to 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of cargo through five dedicated chassis mounting points and two additional racks mounted on the forks, according to the company.

Designed with Canadian Armed Forces input

Trevor Hayter, chief executive officer and founder of NorthForge, says the design took more than three years and was developed with active Canadian Armed Forces members and other advisors.

"The Dispatch didn't start as some dream we had, or theories we derived from reading articles or watching videos," Hayter said. "Our conclusions and final specifications came from military service members themselves and via real-world testing."

The bike is still in the trial stage: as New Atlas reported, it has moved past the design phase and is being readied for testing, so confirmed real-world performance data remains limited.

Why a defence EV matters for Canada

The Dispatch was developed to align with Canada's inaugural Defence Industrial Strategy, under which the new Defence Investment Agency favours Canadian companies and manufacturing across the defence supply chain. Electric tactical vehicles offer quieter operation, fewer moving parts and lower routine maintenance than gas equivalents — no oil changes, and instant torque at low speeds.

The technology could also spill beyond the military. Sectors that need rugged, lightweight transportation in remote places — emergency response, industrial work, outdoor recreation — face the same constraints the Dispatch was designed around: swappable energy, one-minute turnaround, and operation on a partial battery set.

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