Electric motorcycles are becoming more and more popular and builders are continuously trying to expand their coverage area on the market. One very good such example is the Quantya electric snow bike prototype, which is based on a Quantya MX bike but features a snowmobile-like track and a front ski so that it would turn into a fairly easy and fun bike to ride on the show. The only problem is that the batteries tend to run out too fast because of the cold, so different battery and motor power combinations are being considered and tested at the Quantya HQ in Switzerland. Once they figure this last detail out, don’t be surprised if the company starts producing the thing for snow enthusiasts.
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Although it looks like a slightly heavier downhill bicycle, Hirsch Design’s Comoto will probably be the world’s lightest production motorcycle later this year when it will be officially launched.
A unique idea for an electric motorcycle, the 2010 Comoto weighs an impressive 53 kg (116.8 lbs), relies on a 72V 20ah lithium ion phosphate battery to keep it lively and even features 6061-T6 alloy aircraft aluminum sheet metal as well as other high intensity components, making it not only very light, but also thrust-worthy to ride.
A world record or not, the Comoto will definitely see its way on the market as a green short-distance commuting motorcycle. Nice!
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Roehr starts the year with the right foot as the American motorcycle manufacturer made famous by their 180 horsepower 1250sc model priced at $49,999 (see picture above) has just announced a completely new electric model range. The eSuperbike will supposedly be a new US TTXGP competitor relying on a 10 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery pack and AC induction to develop 96 hp and 210 pound-feet of torque. But Roehr has also thought at making a lower spec’d version called eSupersport, which will be powered by a similar motor fed by a 6kWh battery pack, but develop only 48 hp and 105 lb-ft. This translates into a top speed of 100mph.
The full press release, which we attached after the break, does not mention the starting prices, but stay tuned for when we have more information about Roehr’s surprising move.
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The word is out that in 2010 Mavizen could join TTXGP with their TTX02 electric motorcycle unveiled at the
SEMA show in Las Vegas and with the bike’s RC8 chassis and approximately 100 hp Agni 95 electric motors, the team should stand a chance against the stiffer and stiffer competition. The 130 mph electric supersport motorcycle’s low speed battery management system was recently tested, so we got our hands on the detailed pictures and video made there. Enjoy!
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We usually don’t like rumors, but when we heard that Derbi has most likely built an all electric race version of their GPR 125, we dug more into the subject and came to find that the so-called rumor is actually supported by a video posted on Youtube by Sevcon, a UK based manufacturer of electrical equipment. According to the source of the video, this is Derbi’s all-new electric bike which uses a controller supplied by Sevcon.
Seen in the mysterious video is the full bike called the Derbi GPR EV being unveiled and tested at Parc Motor De Castelloli in Barcelona, Spain. To us, this looks like the latest open class TTXGP competitor, but there’s no official word about it yet, so we’re only left with seeing the bike in action until new information. The video is attached after the break.
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Zero Motorcycles has announced their entry into the 2010 TTXGP series, which turns them into competitors for Team Agni and CRP Racing. The company’s race bike will be built around a Mavizen TTX02 chassis, the same as on KTM’s RC8 superbike, while the battery packs and electric motors will be those of the Zero’s Z-Force.
Sounds like the competition is getting stiffer and stiffer in the TTXGP’s electric motorcycle racing series, eGrandPrix and we can’t wait for next year’s May, when the first race is scheduled at Infineon in California.
Press release is attached after the jump.
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Electric bikes have entered on an ascendant path and we’re seeing more and more interesting concepts. Among these, we’re caught up by Dan Anderson’s Voltra. Living in Sydney, Australia, the industrial design student created the electric café racer of the future for his final year thesis project. Dan says “the Voltra is the result of research into motorcycling history, society and culture as well as technology, materials and manufacturing and product semantics,” but you can see that by simply taking a look at the bike.
What you can’t really tell is what’s powering it and the claimed performances. Our Australian designer made sure to mention that an AC induction motor with a programmable controller is powered by Li-Ion batteries, which allow the thing to run an estimated 90 minutes after a full recharge, which lasts two hours. In return, riders get 129Nm of torque and a 200 kg weight (thanks to its carbonfibre monocoque chassis), translating into an impressive top speed of more than 200 km/h.
I wouldn’t be surprised if I hear about this concept turning into a prototype and heading to production in a couple of years.
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It may look like a bicycle from the next century and the fact is that it has all the benefits of the original two-wheeler, but the Grace E-motorbike features a CNC-aluminum frame, which is fitted with eurofighter and Formula One parts. This, together with the 1300 watt lithium ion-powered motor, allows the handmade mean of transportation to reach a top speed of 40 mph and keep on going for as little as 18 miles and as much as 31 miles. It takes one hour for the battery to charge and when it’s dead, riders can pedal their way home.
Still, the Grace should stay true to its name around the city and considering that it is made in the company’s Hanover, Germany shop, reliability isn’t something to worry about. Suddenly, we start looking with different eyes to the good old scooter or the newer Segway, but the first question that pops into mind when seeing this is how much will it cost and when we’ll be getting it. The company says the Grace will cost €5877 ($8742) when it ships in January. Sorry, I forgot to mention you should sit down before further reading.
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French designer Romain Herment considers that nuclear fusion will allow the turning of nuclear energy into a power source for motorcycles. Not only that, but he has even come up with a concept bike meant to reveal the designer’s idea about how motorcycles based on the new technology will look like.
The “Motorbike 2050 version 2,” as it is called, is a fairly cool looking thing with plenty more interesting details needed to be unveiled. For instance, it will supposedly rely on deuterium and tritium – two inexhaustible natural elements – to make it efficient, as efficient as 1 liter of water per 100 km can be four decades from now.
While we have no knowledge of version 1, we must say that for this project the designer made sure to cover every single aspect such as power being generated by an electric engine weighing only 55kg, but they don’t mention much about the materials used to achieve the overall also light weight.
Each time I see something like this, I start thinking more and more seriously about recording a Harley for when we’ll be riding on this sort of motorcycles.
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At the 67th Milan International Cycle and Motorbike Show, Peugeot unveiled the new HYbrid3 Evolution Concept - a convertible version of the HYbrid3 compressor presented at the 2008 Paris Motor Show.
The HYbrid3 Evolution Concept is powered by two electric motors - one in each wheel - and a 300cc petrol engine that delivers 41 hp. The electric engines are powered by lithium-ion batteries, which can be recharged by an energy recovery system active during deceleration and braking.
The concept has an average fuel consumption of 2.0 liters per 100km (141.2 mpg imp) and C02 emissions of 48 g/km.
Press release after the jump.
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