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Revision as of 15:38, 14 September 2013

This article is about two or three wheeled electric vehicles. For single-person, three or four-wheeled mobility aid scooters, see Mobility scooter. For electric powered kick scooters, see Electric kick scooter. For electric powered bicycles, see Electric bicycles.
Zero DS

Electric motorcycles and scooters are plug-in electric vehicles with two or three wheels that can be recharged from any external source of electricity, and the electricity is stored on board in a rechargeable battery, which powers one or more electric motors to attain locomotion. Electric motorcycles, as distinguished from scooters, do not have a step-through frame.

As of August 2013, there are several commercial production electric motorcycles and scooters available in several markets around the world, including the Brammo Empulse, Zero S, Quantya Strada, Yamaha EC-03, Vectrix VX-2, Electric Motorsport GPR-S, Yo Exl, and the Lito Sora.

History

Timeline
1895 Earliest known electric motorcycle patent.
1911 Popular Mechanics article introduces an electric motorcycle.
1919 Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies make an electric motorcycle prototype.
1936 Socovel electric motorcycle company founded.
1946 Marketeer company founded, based on an electric motorcycle made by Merle Williams.
1967 Karl Kordesch makes an hydrazine fuel cell motorcycle
1974 Mike Corbin's motorcycle Quick Silver sets electric motorcycle speed record of 165.387 mph (266.165 km/h)
1996 First mass produced electric scooter, Peugeot Scoot'Elec, released
2011 Chip Yates sets Guinness record of fastest electric motorcycle with 316.899 km/h (196.912 mph)
2013 First FIM eRoad Racing World Cup

1895 to 1950

Patent drawing for an "Electric Bicycle" (1895)

The early history of electric motorcycles is somewhat unclear. On 19 September 1895, a patent application for an "electrical bicycle" was filed by Ogden Bolton Jr. of Canton Ohio.[1] On 8 November of the same year, another patent application for an "electric bicycle" was filed by Hosea W. Libbey of Boston.[2]

The October 1911 issue of Popular Mechanics mentioned the introduction of an electric motorcycle. It claimed to be have a range of 75 miles (121 km) to 100 miles (160 km) per charge. The motorcycle had a three-speed controller, with speeds of 4 miles (6.4 km), 15 miles (24 km) and 35 miles (56 km) per hour.[3]

In 1919, Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies made a prototype electric motorcycle in which the batteries were fitted under the seat of the sidecar. Even though the vehicle was registered for road use, it never went past the trial stage.[4]

In 1936, the Limelette brothers founded the an electric motorcycle company called Socovel (Société pour l’étude et la Construction de Vehicules Electriques or Company for research and manufacture of electric vehicles) in Brussels. They continued production during the German occupation with their permission. Due to fuel rationing, they found some degree of success. But after the war, they switched to conventional models. The electric models remained available until 1948.[5][6][7]

During the World War II, compelled by fuel rationing in the United States, Merle Williams of Long Beach, California invented a two-wheeled electric motorcycle that towed a single wheeled trailer. Due to the popularity of the vehicle, Williams started making more such vehicles in his garage. In 1946, it lead to the formation of the Marketeer Company (current-day ParCar Corp.).[8]

1950 to 1980

In 1967, Karl Kordesch, working for Union Carbide, made a fuel cell/Nickel–cadmium battery hybrid electric motorcycle. It was later replaced with a hydrazine fuel cell, giving it a range of 200 miles (320 km) per gallon and a top speed of 25 mph (40 km/h).[9][10]

In the same year, a prototype electric motorcycle called the Papoose, was built by the Indian Motorcycle Company under the direction of Floyd Clymer.[11]

In 1974, Auranthic Corp., a small manufacturer in California, produced a small motorcycle called the Charger. It had a 30 mph (48 km/h) and a 50 miles (80 km) range on a full charge.[12]

In the early 1970s, Mike Corbin built a street-legal commuter electric motorcycle called the Corbin Electric. Later in 1974, Corbin, riding a motorcycle called the Quick Silver, set the electric motorcycle speed world record at 165.387 mph (266.165 km/h). The motorcycle used a 24 volt electric starter motor from a Douglas A-4B fighter plane.[13] In 1975, Corbin built a battery powered prototype street motorcycle called the City Bike. This motorcycle used a battery manufactured by Yardney Electric.[14]

In June 1975, the first Annual Alternative Vehicle Regatta was held at Mt. Washington, New Hampshire. The event was created and promoted by Charles McArthur, an environmentalist. On June 17, Corbin's motorcycle completed the 8 miles (13 km) uphill course in 26 minutes.[15]

1980 to 2000

In 1988, Ed Rannberg, who founded Eyeball Engineering, tested his electric drag motorcycle in Bonneville.[16] In 1992, the January issue of Cycle World carried an article about Ed Rannberg's bike called the KawaSHOCKI. It could complete a quarter mile (0.25 miles (400 m)) in 11–12 seconds.[13]

In 1995, Electric Motorbike Inc. was founded by Scott Cronk and Rick Whisman in Santa Rosa, California. In 1996, EMB Lectra was built by Electric Motorbike Inc., which used a variable reluctance motor.[17] It had a top speed of about 45 mph (72 km/h) and a range of 35 miles (56 km). About a 100 of these were built.[18]

In 1996, the first mass produced electric scooter, Peugeot Scoot'Elec, was released. It used Nickel-Cadmium batteries and a range of 40 km (25 mi).[19]

2000 to present

TTXGP bikes at Isle of Man TT 2009
Chip Yates at Bonneville in 2011

In 26 August 2000, Killacycle established a drag racing record of completing a quarter mile (400 m) in 9.450 seconds on the Woodburn track in Oregon. Killacycle used lead acid batteries at a speed of 152.07 mph (244.73 km/h).[20] Later, Killacycle using A123 Systems Li-ion nano-phosphate cells set a new quarter mile record of 7.824 seconds breaking the 8 seconds barrier at 168 miles per hour (270 km/h) in Phoenix, Arizona at the All Harley Drag Racing Association (AHDRA) 2007, on 10 November 2007.[21]

On 4–5 April 2009, Zero Motorcycles hosted the "24 Hours of Electricross" event in San Jose. It is considered the first all-electric off-road endurance race.[22]

On 14 June 2009, the first electric Time Trial Xtreme Grand Prix (TTXGP) all electric street motorcycle race took place on the Isle of Man in which 13 machines took part. Rob Barber riding a motorcycle built by Team Agni won the race. He completed the 37.73 miles (60.72 km) course in 25 minutes 53.5 seconds, an average speed of 87.434 miles per hour (140.711 km/h).[23]

In 2010, ElectroCat, made by Eva Håkansson, set the record time for an electric motorcycle to climb Pikes Peak. The motorcycle, ridden by John Scollon, completed the 12 miles (19 km) course in 16 minutes 55.849 seconds. ElectroCat uses batteries manufactured by A123 Systems.[24]

On 26 June 2011, Chip Yates broke ElectroCat's previous record at Pikes Peak. He completed the course in 12 minutes 50.094 seconds.[25] On 30 August 2011, Yates riding his prototype SWIGZ.COM electric superbike established the official Guinness record of the fastest electric motorcycle. The motorcycle clocked a speed of 316.899 km/h (196.912 mph) at Bonneville.[26]

On 30 June 2013, Carlin Dunne riding a Lighting Motorcycles built electric bike beat conventional motorcycles at Pikes Peak. He clocked a 10 mintues 00.694 seconds at the 12.42 miles (19.99 km) course. Bruno Langlois riding a Ducati Multistrada 1200 S finished second with a time of 10 minutes 21.323 seconds.[27][28]

Power source

Yamaha FC-AQEL
Suzuki Burgman (fuel cell) cutaway at 2011 Tokyo Motor Show

Fuel cell

Generally, the source of power for the electric motor has been batteries, but development in fuel cell technology has created several prototypes.

ENV developed by Intelligent Energy is a hydrogen fuel cell prototype. The motorcycle has a range of 100 miles (160 km) and can reach a top speed of 50 mph (80 km/h).[29] Suzuki has also developed a concept hydrogen fuel cell scooter based on the Suzuki Burgman.[30] Yamaha has created a hydrogen fuel cell prototype called FC-AQEL, which is considered equivalent to a 125cc vehicle.[31] Honda has also developed a hydrogen fuel cell scooter which uses the Honda FC Stack.[32]

Hybrid

Honda has developed an internal combustion/electric hybrid scooter.[32] Yamaha has also developed a hybrid concept motorcycle called Gen-Ryu. It uses a 600cc engine and an additional electric motor.[33] Piaggio MP3 Hybrid uses a 125cc engine and an additional 2.4 kW motor.[34]

Charging

In its 2013 models, Zero Motorcycles introduced CHAdeMO with an extra accessory. Using this, the batteries can be charged up to 95% in an hour.[35]

Battery swapping

Zero Motorcycles allows quick battery swap in all its 2013 models, except Zero S and DS.[35]

Comparison of select production vehicles

The following table lists selected vehicles that are currently in production and are available to the public in various markets. The legal status of these vehicles may vary from region to region.

Name Model year Top speed Vehicle type Battery type Max Range Price Reference
Modenas CTric 2012 70 km/h (43 mph) Scooter Lead acid,
Nano gel 		60 km (37 mi) US$ 1487
(RM 4888) 		[36][37][38]
Zero DS ZF8.5 2013 153 km/h (95 mph) Dual sport Lithium-ion 153 km (95 mi) US$ 13995 [39][40]
Vectrix VX-2 2012 45 km/h (28 mph) Scooter Lead acid,
Silica gel 		88 km (55 mi) US$ 4295 [41][42][43]
Brammo Impulse R 2013 169 km/h (105 mph) Motorcycle Lithium-ion 195 km (121 mi) US$ 18995 [44][45][46]
Yo Exl 2012 55 km/h (34 mph) Scooter Lead acid 60 km (37 mi) US$ 741
(₹ 50,171) 		[47][48]
Quantya Strada 2011 55 mph (89 km/h) Off-road
(street legal) 		Lithium-ion 25 mi (40 km) US$ 10700 [49][50][51]
ZEV10 LRC 2013 78 mph (126 km/h) Scooter Lithium-ion 140 mi (230 km) US$ 13900 [52]

Sales and adoption

In United States, adoption of electric motorcycles has been slow due to their high cost and low range compared to a similarly powered conventional motorcycle. In spite of rising fuel prices, cheaper gasoline motorcycles like Honda CBR250 are considered better alternatives.[53] According to a market report published in 2013, the sales of electric motorcycles and scooters in expected to rise by 10-folds by 2018 in North American. The sales number of about 4000 units in 2012 is expected to be about 36000 by 2018.[54]

In India, high costs and power grid problems have contributed to slow sales. In states like Tamil Nadu, where power supply of rationed electricity was reduced, a corresponding drop in sales has been observed by electric scooter manufacturers like Ampere and Hero Electric.[55]

Government promotion and incentives

Main article: Government incentives for plug-in electric vehicles

India

In January 2013, the Indian government announced a plan to provide subsidies for hybrid and electric vehicles. The plan will have subsidies up to ₹ 150000 for cars and 50000 on two wheelers. India aims to have seven million electric vehicles on the road by 2020.[56]

Taiwan

The premier of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Liu Chao-shiuan said in 2008 that the government-financed Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) will help domestic manufacturers mass-produce 100,000 electric motorcycles in four years.[57]

Motorsports

Mark Miller riding a MotoCzysz E1pc at TT Zero (2012)
A Brammo Engage at MiniMoto SX (2011)

Road Racing

TTXGP

Main article: TTXGP

TTXGP was conceived by Azhar Hussain. The first race was held on 30 June 2009 on the Isle of Man in which 13 teams took part.[23] The event was endorsed by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM).[58]

In May 2010, TTXGP started a world championship series.[58] It went on to organize several races in US, Europe and Australia.[59]

TT Zero

Main article: TT Zero

In 2010, TT Zero replaced the TTXGP event in the Isle of Man TT race. Neither TTXGP nor Azhar Hussain were involved in the event. The event followed FIM rules.[58]

FIM eRoad Racing World Cup

Main article: FIM eRoad Racing World Cup

On 18 November 2010, Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) announced an ePower International Series for electric motorcycles, causing a split between TTXGP promoters and FIM.[60] FIM, unlike TTXGP, was unable to gather many teams of the series. In March 2011, TTXGP announced it would again collaborate with FIM.[61]

In 2013, TTXGP and FIM collaborated to organize the FIM eRoad Racing World Cup with races in US, Europe and a final race in Asia.[59]

Motocross

In 2013, FIM announced an all eletric event, called E-MX, which was held in Belgium during Clean Week 2020 on 2 May.[62] MiniMoto SX Energy Crisiscross is a regular event where electric off-road motorcycles are allowed to compete against conventional motorcycles.[63]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Electric motorcycles.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Electric scooters.

References

  1. ^ "Patent number: 552271". Google Patents. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  2. ^ "Patent number: 596272". Google Patents. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  3. ^ Popular Mechanics. Hearst Magazines. October 1911. pp. 560–. ISSN 00324558 Parameter error in {{issn}}: Invalid ISSN.. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
  4. ^ "Ransomes, Sims and Jefferies: Motorcycles". Grace's Guide. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  5. ^ Erwin Tragatsch (1997). Alle Motorräder 1894-1981: Eine Typengeschichte. 2500 Marken aus 30 Ländern. ISBN 3-87943-410-7.
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  9. ^ "Alkali Fuel Cell History". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
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  13. ^ a b Cycle World. 1992-01 - 1992-06. pp. 108–111. ISSN 00114286 Parameter error in {{issn}}: Invalid ISSN.. Retrieved 3 September 2013. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ "AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame: Mike Corbin". Retrieved 2 September 2013.
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  63. ^ "Brammo to challenge other electrics, gassers in MiniMoto SX Energy Crisiscross 2011". Autoblog. 3 May 2011. Retrieved 4 September 2013.

External links

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