PH2: E-Bike Races To Podium
Electric bikes on a charge. (Sits Vac: PH headline writer reqd.)
You probably know that since 2009 there's been a class at the Isle of Man TT races for electric bikes. Last year the winning bike nearly broke the magic 100mph average lap and topped 135mph through the Sulby speed trap. This year someone is bound to break into three figures, especially if an electric bike's recent performance in America is anything to go by.
A bike prepared by the SWIGZ racing team and ridden by a bloke called Chip Yates was entered into a round of the WERA Heavy Superbike Twins race in California and finished third. That's against conventional petrol-burning race bikes. Amazing result, but it's the electric bike's top speed that's caught my eye: 158mph. Of course, short circuit racing is a very different game to the TT. The Americans would probably have to turn their bike down a bit for it to manage one 37 mile lap of the TT course.
So are we going to see electric superbikes on the road? Not for a long time I'd imagine. Electric scooters strike me as a good idea, but an electric sports bike not really. For one thing there's the lack of noise. A couple of years ago I rode a Ducati Desmosedici, one of the best sounding engines I've ever heard. A Ducati that hummed wouldn't be the same.
You'd imagine wrong then. http://www.mavizen.com/TTX02.html
Built in the UK too.
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http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Come on newbie, get with the program!!!!!!!!!!!!
Whats the point of PH2, if all it is going to do is regurgitate stuff we have already covered in the forum
You'd imagine wrong then. http://www.mavizen.com/TTX02.html
Built in the UK too.
As said before, these are not the way forward.
We are supposed to be looking for a replacement to fossil fuelled vehicles. Pray tell me, how is most of the electricity produced in this country?
Added to that, what about using them to cover a large distance? There was an article on the early BBC news last week where a driver attempted to get from London to Edingburgh in an electric mini - it took him four and a half days!
Added to that, what about using them to cover a large distance? There was an article on the early BBC news last week where a driver attempted to get from London to Edingburgh in an electric mini - it took him four and a half days!
I saw the BBC article about the guy in the e-Mini -apparently in one town where he stopped to charge it most of the town turned out to greet him as NOBODY had ever used the ONLY charge point in their town
You'd imagine wrong then. http://www.mavizen.com/TTX02.html
Built in the UK too.
As said before, these are not the way forward.
We are supposed to be looking for a replacement to fossil fuelled vehicles. Pray tell me, how is most of the electricity produced in this country?
Added to that, what about using them to cover a large distance? There was an article on the early BBC news last week where a driver attempted to get from London to Edingburgh in an electric mini - it took him four and a half days!
Charging an electric vehicle from a fossil-fuelled power source is STILL better Co2-wise than burning fossil fuels if you care about such things. This point has been covered many times in relation to electric car discussions on this forum.
As for the BBC report... I said even before they started the journey that it was a total farce. They knew the range of the vehicle before they even got in it, so I don't know what they were trying to prove. To quote someone from another thread:
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http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Come on newbie, get with the program!!!!!!!!!!!!
Whats the point of PH2, if all it is going to do is regurgitate stuff we have already covered in the forum
Also, the car chaps won't venture into here that often, so it's a wider education of the biking world to the PH audience
Also, the car chaps won't venture into here that often, so it's a wider education of the biking world to the PH audience
(as to the "voltage was still 100% at the end of the race, er, B0110cks, so somehow, not only did the bike have 100% efficient regen, but it also managed to have zero aerodrag or rolling/mechanical friction as well.......... if this is true, forget racing bikes, that's the future of the whole planets energy needs right there!)
Also, the car chaps won't venture into here that often, so it's a wider education of the biking world to the PH audience
As for the BBC report... I said even before they started the journey that it was a total farce. They knew the range of the vehicle before they even got in it, so I don't know what they were trying to prove.
The BBC's attempt may have been farcical, but it was out to prove just that! If the government were so keen to embrace electric powered vehicles, do you not think there would have been more frequently positioned top up points?
(as to the "voltage was still 100% at the end of the race, er, B0110cks, so somehow, not only did the bike have 100% efficient regen, but it also managed to have zero aerodrag or rolling/mechanical friction as well.......... if this is true, forget racing bikes, that's the future of the whole planets energy needs right there!)
But I agree that comparing electric bikes with petrol bikes is only helpful if you know what regulations everything is built to. The fairest way to compare them is let both vehicles start the race with the same amount of energy on board... petrol or electric can be measured in joules. Although I have a feeling this would give the electric bike a HUGE advantage given that they don't waste anywhere near as much energy in heat etc.
(as to the "voltage was still 100% at the end of the race, er, B0110cks, so somehow, not only did the bike have 100% efficient regen, but it also managed to have zero aerodrag or rolling/mechanical friction as well.......... if this is true, forget racing bikes, that's the future of the whole planets energy needs right there!)
News like this is still good to hear though, as it means people are actively developing new technologies and ways in which to try and go faster. Granted it might not sound as good as a petrol engine or be quite as fast outright at the moment, but I'm sure plenty of people were skeptical about chopping in their horse for their first car, and look where we are today.
All I'm saying is the level of engineering to get a ZE bike to that stage of development in a relatively sort space of time relative to petrol-propulsion is pretty impressive and should be admired.
The same goes for the electric Mini. Anyone that owned one would be certifiably insane to attempt to drive one up to Edinburgh, when you can hire an I/C car for £40 for a weekend.
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