eGrandPrix: Electric Motorcycle Racing

According to this ZDNet article describing a different kind of race:
The eGrandPrix is open to any zero-carbon-emissions motorcycle including other alternative power sources such as hydrogen or solar. So far, though, the entries in the circuit have only been electric bikes.
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Durng the 11-lap race at Infineon Raceway, most of the electric bikes will hit top speeds of around 100 mph.
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One of the main challenges in electric motorcycle racing, says driver John Wild, is stuffing enough battery power into the bike frame. The frames that most teams are using were designed for traditional bikes, and fitting in all the batteries while maintaining proper weight distribution and aerodynamics can be challenging.
I kind of understand how manufacturers can throw a bunch of batteries in a car and somehow get it to work. I am not seeing batteries on these motorcycles though. Must be a whole different kind of battery.. maybe a bunch of D cells.. nobody uses them for flashlights anymore. I wonder if these bikes will be sold for street use?

3 comments:

  1. Not sure that would make an interesting race. Just can't imagine not hearing the sound of a good gas powered engine.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Perhaps then, some enlightenment is in order; Yes, they are for sale; No, they don't run on D cells; and Yes they are exciting! ...and not as quiet as you may think.
    http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/20/video-first-ttxgp-electric-motorcycle-race-at-infineon/

    Cheers,
    Jake.

    ReplyDelete
  3. They seem to be using some version of lithium-ion battery technology.

    ReplyDelete

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