According to Mark Wells, Senior Partner at Xenophya Design, the goal of the EV-0RR was to create an evocative and exciting concept that would inspire sponsors to buy into the electric sportbike concept.
The electric bike is slated to compete in the Time Trial Extreme Grand Prix being hosted at the Isle of Man on the 12th of June this year. The EV-0 RR features a monocoque chassis, supported by its carbon-fiber fairings, a single-sided front and rear suspension, and twin electric motors.
The engineers behind the EV-0RR claim it will have the power, weight, and speed of a 600cc sportsbike, which makes this a serious electric replacement to the standard gasoline-powered sportbike.
Unlike conventional electric drive motorcycles, the EV-0 RR takes full advantage of the packaging freedom delivered by the electric powertrain. The two electric motors are positioned at the bottom of the bellypan with the batteries located just above them, optimizing mass centralization.
Surrounding them is the structural carbon fairings, which forms most of the fairing. The riding position, with a faux tank and normal relationship between seat, bars and pegs, may look conventional, but has been optimized both for rider control and aerodynamics.
The tank is retained despite the lack of gas to fill it to give the riders’ knees something to hang on to.
Speaking on the difficulties of designing a unique electric sportbike, Mark Wells explains the hurdles that had to be overcome with the EV-0RR:
“We really feel the trick with zero emissions vehicles, at this stage in their development, is to give motorcyclists (and petrolheads in general) what they know, and more importantly, love. This is why the illustrations we have made for the EV-0RR are very ‘MotoGP’ in proportion and stance. Everything from the General Motors EV1 in the 90s, to the Prius and the Seymour Powell ENV Hydro bike and even the Mission One TTXGP entry, are so desperately trying to communicate their innovation and ‘electricness’ through semantics.
I don’t look at a bike and get turned on or off by the measurement of g/km of carbon dioxide are emitted, I really don’t care. I love two-strokes for the way they only deliver power in a small powerband. Equally I love big inline-fours because of the ‘point and squirt, world goes backwards’ experience. I get excited by bikes; that’s my passion, so give me a bike. If that bike has a torque curve like a table top (as an electric motor will) then I’m interested in it irrelevant of whether it runs on fresh air or by burning endangered tree frogs from the Amazon”
The purely pragmatic approach seems to be more in-line with what the typical consumer think. After all, few sportbike enthusiasts are going to get behind a sluggish and overweight bike just because it runs on electricity.
But add an eye-catching design, and technical specs that rival gasoline powered bikes on paper, and now you have a true contender to the current model of what sportbikes should be.
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