Zoomi Life

Remember the movie Tron? Lightcycles were the coolest thing back in the day and everyone dreamed of owning one, riding one, or just had the Atari game to play like they did. Well, if those cycles were to be made today, they’d probably look like the MOTOrepublic Beta.

This electric motorcycle concept has a vaguely X-shaped design with a smith’s hammer headlight, ultra-thin frame, and sports electric riding with truly zero emissions (no gasses, no noise). Pretty cool.

The most innovative part of the design, however, is the exoskeleton frame, which could be the future for electric bikes. Lighter, stronger, and allowing more versatility and (possibly) more space for components, these frames might be the answer EV motorcycles have been looking for.

[Show as slideshow]

Source: MOTORepublic

Alright, these are our picks for the top 5 electric motorcycles of this year. As with our pick of cars, these are all models available for purchase in the USA by 2010 (well - except for one… see below) and are being gauged by innovation, design, and availability. I’ll dispense with my usual flowery commentary and present to you, now, our 2008 picks for Top 5 Electric Motorcycles! \insert drum roll sound file here\

#1 – Electric Motorsport GPR-S

Our contention for number one was close, with the number 2 Enertia nearly winning out. What put the GPR-S over the top, though, is it’s freeway readiness. The GPR-S is a stylin’ bike that won’t easily be confused as electric at first glance. Until you “fire it up” that is. Being the first street AND freeway-legal electric motorcycle in the USA, the GPR-S definitely gets points for innovation. With an affordable price tag to compete with like-sized and styled gasoline bikes and with a smart, modular component platform, this bike is definitely worthy of our top spot.

#2 – Brammo Motorsports Enertia

As I said, this was a close one. The Enertia missed the number one spot purely because it’s a commuter, not a freeway machine. For style, though, this one is top of the list. The Enertia has to be seen to be understood for it’s awesome looks. It comes with strong innovation and good power too, though it’s price tag is higher than an equivalent gas-powered model by more than double. Sleek, fast, and innovative, this is a great product from Oregon that we hope to see more of.

#3 – Zero Motorcycles Zero-X

Our list features two dirt bikes, which wouldn’t have happened last year. Previously only available to those who live in the country or have access to remote riding areas, motocross had a limited appeal. Until now. With quiet electrics, new motocross tracks could be appearing right off the freeway, in neighborhoods near you. The Zero-X is one of the innovators to make that happen, delivering great style, strong performance, and electric innovation, this one easily made our list. How can you argue with 0-60 in less than 4 seconds?

#4 – KTM Race-Ready

Austrian motocross firm KTM announced their race-ready dirt bike to be released by 2010, powered entirely by electricity. With standard motocross styling, this bike doesn’t win any design awards, but it will deliver definite race-ready performance. With the popular enduro frame of most racing dirt bike, the KTM model delivers great performance and strong appeal to those in the “better than amateur” level of motocross. The KTM name doesn’t hurt either.

#5 – KillaCycle

I admit that this one doesn’t meet any of the requirements we listed for electric motorcycles except that its’ electric. That being said, it’s just too frikkin’ cool to ignore. The world’s fastest motorcycle on the drag strip, the KillaCycle has been consistently setting, then beating, then re-setting and beating again it’s own records. This is the fastest electric vehicle right now, bar none. The coolest part? It costs about 7 cents to run this thing down the quarter mile strip, including the burnout. Definitely worthy of it’s name, we had to put KillaCycle on this list.

There you have it, our top 5 picks for electric motorcycles in 2008. No pedals, no engine noise, just pure, 2-wheeled electric performance!

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s ElectricMotorbikeMan!

I imagine the sales brochure for this one:

Ever want to look like an alien, freak out your friends with your super-hybrid speed powers, or scare old ladies with your freakish long arms and wheels for hands and feet? Well now you can! Introducing, the ElectroBike Suit!

For all its goofiness, though, this thing is actually freakish enough to be kind of cool. Invented by Jake Loniak, a junior at Art Center College of Design, this “electric exoskeleton motorcycle” is what he’s named the “Skele-Cycle,” but officially titled the “Deus Ex Machina.” Controlled by 36 pneumatic muscles, which are controlled by the rider’s body movements, the bike is an upright exoskeleton rather than a traditional motorcycle.

The bike is a three-wheeled design with one wheel being directly below the driver and two others thrust slightly forward and controlled by the arms of the rider. The design college has produced legendary designers like Henrik Fisker, creator of the Corvette and the new Fisker Karma.

He envisions the bike as a sports bike, not a commuter, with top speeds of around 75mph powered by batteries and electric drive motors. He likens it to riding two skateboards simultaneously, but with computer control and better stability.

I can imagine riding one of these and the need to pack extra underwear for, uhh, emergencies. It’d be great fun, but probably like parachuting or airplane piloting: I can do it if my wife has a $1 million policy on me first.

The technology to build the suit already exists, but currently it’s just a design in a computer. Pretty cool one, though.

Check out the PopSci video:

Source: PopSci.com

While it won’t be competing in the TTXGP, this bike was built by the organizers of the event to promote it and showcase what is possible with electric motorcycles today. This bike is impressive, to say the least, and has high enough stats to have earned the title “superbike.”

First, it’s top speed is over 125mph, it’s completely road-legal, and it’s entirely electric. Based on the Suzuki GSX750 frame, it’s powered by two 43bhp Agni Lynch Electric motors sporting kevlar-reinforced armatures and producing a total of 125 Newton Meters of torque. This current model does 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds. The 20kwh pack produces about 50 miles of range at sustained speeds of 90mph+ and takes about two hours to recharge.

The machine is the first version of the planned 2010 production model TTX02, which will feature hot-swappable batteries (20kwh/pack) and regenerative braking, among other things. Plans for a carbon-fiber frame (replacing the metal and aluminum of the Suzuki) are also in the works. The metal frame is over-built for the electric, which produces no rattle and has less weight when compared to combustion motors. The price tag is expected to be in the 20,000 pound area and the bike will likely only be available in the UK for its first production run.

As TTXGP founder Azhar Hussain says, “Seriously, we need to change the way people see electric motorcycles if we’re going to change their buying habits and a large part of what we’re doing with the TTX GP is pioneering those changes.”

Sources: 1, 2, 3

You might remember the Enertia Electric Motorcycle - we covered it a while back here at ZoomiLife. The Enertia is a 100% electric motorcycle with a single-charge range of about 45 miles and a top speed of about 50mph and is available for purchase from Brammo Motorsports.

For those of you that might be interested in this awesome electric bike, check out the Test Ride video created by MotorcycleUsa.com. It’s about 6 minutes long and does a great job of covering the test ride in detail. You can watch the video by following this link or via the embedded video below:

What could be hotter than a Swedish blond biker babe? How about one who does electric conversions of those motorcycles? Ooooh ya!

Meet Eva Hakansson and her Electrocat. She’s self-described as a “hardcore EV geek.” She built Electrocat with her father, Sven, and it’s the first documented street-legal electric motorcycle in Sweden. The bike started life as a 1990 Cagiva Freccia C12R, but now it’s all Eva’d out.

The motor, batteries (lithium-ion phosphate cells), and controller are all housed where the big motor and fuel tank on this bike used to be. The bike has a 50 mile range when averaging 44mph. How fast will it go? She can’t legally say that, since its top speed is illegal in Sweden. Really.

That’s not all, though. The father-daughter team also was instrumental in the record-breaking KillaCycle, which recently broke the world’s record for fastest electric vehicle at 168mph. Incidentally, that’s the fastest drag-racing motorcycle record too. Nice!

Find out more about Eva by heading over to her blog.

[Show as slideshow]

Better Place, based in Palo Alto, California, has announced deals with both the State of California and the State of Oregon to install a network of electric car power stations throughout both states. These should be ready to go by 2012, which is when most experts are predicting that population centers in those states will have a large population of electric vehicles (all electrics, hybrid-electrics, commuters, etc.).

These are to be done through partnerships with Nissan, Coulomb Technologies, and individual city and county governments and business groups. This couples with the announcement by Nissan that they will be releasing their first electric car in Oregon in 2010.

How It Works

The stations will be similar to those that Better Place is doing in Australia, which we covered here at Zoomilife just a short while ago. Rates have not been announced, but the price will be less than the equivalent amount of gasoline (in energy) and the power sources will focus at least partially on renewable resources (wind, solar, etc.).

Many stations, especially along highways or in cities near commute points such as office and industrial zones, will also have “battery swap points” where owners of Nissan cars can swap their EV’s cells with freshly-charged ones or use a charge-while-you-wait service. Nissan has technologies to charge their vehicles with special charging stations at very fast rates.

Both systems will be part of subscription services or one-time-pay offerings, depending on what the driver opts for. Those who commute regularly will likely be interested in buying a subscription to discounted use of the charging stations, for example, while those who drive longer distances may have more interest in the battery-swap and charging station combination. Rental car agencies may also offer EVs and include pre-paid charging cards or other incentives as part of the rental.

Not to leave out traditional service and gas stations, Coulomb Technologies has announced that, for their part, they will be utilizing existing gas stations, service stations, travel stops, etc. as the focus of their electric vehicle charging units. They currently have agreements with 40 locations and the list is growing.

In California

Targeting the San Francisco Bay area, Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego, and the highway and freeway corridors between them, Better Place plans to have curbside charging stations similar to parking meters set up throughout these and nearby cities. These will function similarly to the stations they’ve announced for Australia.

The Governator is very excited about this and took the opportunity at a press conference to tout his state’s leadership in environmental issues. Interesting, coming from a multi-millionaire who drives a Hummer and a bulletproof limousine.

Governors and city councils of various towns and cities in California have made a push to institute policies that give incentive to employers and parking facilities to install EV charging stations. They’ve also pushed to create an expedited process for the permitting and installation certification of those stations in homes, businesses, parking lots, etc. “Expedited,” remember, has a different definition for government, so no word yet on what that will really equate to.

Those are just a few of the long list of things the various city and county governments have proposed or promised in relation to this.

In Oregon

At the LA Auto Show on November 20, 2008, Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan-Renault, announced the partnership with the State of Oregon to build a charging network for EVs. He also announced that Nissan’s first electric to hit American shores will debut in Oregon in 2010. Their entire lineup of zero-emission electrics will be available world-wide by 2012.

The partnership in Oregon involves Better Place, Nissan, and Portland General Electric. Oregon has also announced a $5,000 tax credit towards the purchase of any all-electric car. Oregon’s Department of Transportation has also committed themselves to maintaining and operating the infrastructure the state owns or provides.

The charging stations and other facilities will center first around the Portland area, but will eventually include the entire I-5 corridor to link up with California’s infrastructure in the future. No definite plans were given as to time frames, though the Portland-area plans are targeted for 2012 rollout.

Oregon’s plans are more state-focused, as opposed to California’s more municipal focus.

Sources:1, 2

Finally, someone in America has gotten together the ability to produce an all-electric commuter motorcycle for production. Brammo Motorsports, in Oregon, designed the new Enertia Motorcycle to fit the needs of the daily commuter in North America as well as to appeal to the aesthetic tastes of those of us who’re tired of the usual crappy looks given to electrics.

It’s got a lot of appeal to those who love motorcycles and those who, well, don’t. It uses no gas or oil, so there’s no stink that’s usually associated with those. It’s quiet, another big bonus to all but the staunchest Harley-lovers, and it has no clutch or gearbox, so no learning how to shift with your toe. In fact, the whole bike is almost totally maintenance-free. But for the motorcycle lover, it’s got a smooth ride, great power, and lots of other bonuses.

To plug the Enertia in, you just plug the power cord into the fuel tank. Yep, right where you’d normally unscrew a cap and pump gas in. The power storage has a bonus: it uses six 12V Lithium Phosphate batteries, which are highly resistant to combustion (something that is a worry on non-enclosed, highway-ready vehicles like this). The best part is the charge time: 2 hours to 80%, 3 hours to full. That’s better than almost anything else out there.

Power? Heck ya! How about 0 to 30 in only 4.3 seconds? This is thanks, in part, to the strong and lightweight carbon-fiber chasis and 17-34 ft. lbs. torque that make this double on the Kawasaki Ninja 250, plus the Enertia is thirty pounds lighter.

• Motor: High-Out Permanent Magnet DC
• Motor Power: 13kW, 18hp (at 3600rpm)
• Motor Torque: 38N-m, 28ft lb
• Battery Pack Capacity: 3.1kWh
• Gearing: Single-speed, direct chain drive (1:5 ratio)
• Top Speed: 50mph (+/-)
• Range: 35-45 miles
• Accel.: 0-30mph/4.28sec, 0-40mph/5.88sec
• Total weight: 275lbs.

Other great attributes to this bike are how thin it is (12.5 inches between the knees) and how exceptionally balanced it is because the batteries (the major weight of the machine’s center mass) are concentrated along the center-line of the motorcycle. This makes it extremely easy to maneuver and keep upright.

The price tag for the Enertia Carbon is around the $15,000 mark, but these are available right now (they began shipping just a month or so ago) and the Standard Model, due for release next year, will be around $12,000 and is available for pre-order.

For around-town commuting, this is a great choice. It’s fun to ride and easy to maneuver, but has drawbacks. First, there’s no storage capacity for your stuff, so you’ll have to wear a backpack and limit what you carry to that. Second, because it’s a motorcycle, you’ll have to park it outside or in a parking garage. Finally, it’s not freeway able, so you can’t use it to commute long distances without some major lifestyle and route changes.

Outside of that, it’s a great ride, a fast get-up-and-goer and it doesn’t make any noise to peeve your neighbors or wake up the neighborhood dogs when you leave for work. For the urban or suburban dweller, it might make a great choice for your commute, but it’s more likely to appeal to those who want style over utility in this case.

Want more information? Check out the Enertia website here.

Wanna see a video of the Enertia in action? Check out this promo video about the Enertia released by Brammo Motorsports:

Electric dirt bikes are hitting the mainstream with KTM, one of the leaders in race bikes, announcing their plans to roll one out in about two years. The bike’s current specs are pretty competitive, at 29.5 foot pounds of torque and lithium-ion batteries supplying about forty minutes of race-condition power.

The Austrian firm is working on the premise that electric bikes, being silent, will facilitate more closer-to-home racing for amateurs as well as the ability for arenas to proliferate, promoting the sport. Since the noise of these bikes (which are usually unmuffled, to limit choking) is their largest deterrent in urban and suburban environments, this makes sense.

KTM believes that the costs for these bikes will be in line or slightly above the pricing for their current line of race-ready enduro bikes.

From a rider’s perspective, the bikes will function basically the same way, with throttle and brake controls remaining unchanged. What will change is the noise level and the power response, since electric motors deliver power immediately on demand while petroleum-burning motors require a short “ramp up” time to provide the same torque. This means riders will have to adjust their skills to match, but the transition shouldn’t be too tough.

I think it’s likely most riders will find they enjoy the electric much more. Plus they’ll be much less likely to become prematurely deaf after years of exposure to their gas-powered enduros.

This Post via AutoBlogGreen

A couple of weeks ago, we reported on the Kick Gas Festival in San Diego - the place to go to meet EV and gas motor heads. One of the folks we met at the event was Todd Kollin, owner of Electric Motorsport, of Oakland, CA. Electric Motorsport has been a well-respected motorsports part shop for many years, and they are now getting into a whole new game - electric motorcycles.

Electric Motorsport has recently announced the release of their GPR-S electric motorcycle. Todd says the GPR-S is the “first street and freeway-legal electric motorcycle available in the USA”. The electric GPR-S looks exactly like a gas sport bike, except for two distinct differences - no gas cap, and a visible electric motor that slightly protrudes from one side of the unit.

Todd Kollin from Electric Motorsport with his GPR-S electric motorcycle.		Another shot of the GPR-S electric motorcycle.

The GPR-S electric motorcycle costs $8,000. The permanent DC motor in the GPR-S can pump out about 19-horsepower, and the GPR-S has a top speed of about 70 miles per hour with a range of up to 60 miles. The electric GPR-S weighs a total of 285 lbs, with 90 lbs of that being the vehicles Li-Ion battery. The battery pack itself takes about 4 hours to recharge with the included stock charger. A high speed charger option is available, which cuts the charge time down to about 1.5 hours.

Since the electric GPR-S is based on a modular design, with batteries, motors, and controllers all designed to be interchangeable, the electric GPR-S platform should last well past the technological lifetime of any one component. And, if past performance is any indication, we’ll be seeing a lot more innovation on the GPR-S from Electric Motorsport, a company which has already stood the test of time in the motorsports industry.

This Post via Electric Motorsport