Quantya Enters EV Charging Market And Unveils vRone Scooter
Swiss electric motorcycle manufacturer Quantya SA announced plans to enter the home charging business to diversify their product offerings, aid their push into fleet sales, and gain market share.
The Electrant charging station and vRone scooter are being developed in collaboration with the Swiss organization, vonRoll Industries.
The vRone looks to be a progression of the original Quantya Squter prototype I wrote about almost one year ago. The specs are reported to be the same but there is talk inside Quantya of an 84 Volt / 70 Ah version. The specs reported last year are in the photo gallery after the break.
You’ll notice in the pictures this is not a hub motor scooter which makes it different from most of the electric scooters on the market. Dario, the man in the big leather chair at Quantya USA, rode the earlier prototype and mentioned it was belt drive.
Look for the Quantya vRone and Electrant charging station to roll out early this year.
In: Quantya · Tagged with: charging station, Electrant charging station, Quantya vRone, squirter, Squter, Squter P1, Swiss, vonRoll Industries, vRone
Zero Spain Runs The Bassella Race Against Gas Bikes
Last weekend, as rumors escalated about Neal Saiki’s departure from Zero, Oriol Vila of Zero Motorcycles Spain was mixing with the gassers on a Zero MX Extreme in the Basella Race in Northern Spain.
The Bassella looks to be a mix of Hare Scramble-type course with some Endurocross-style obstacles consisting of boulders, logs and tractor tires thrown in to spice things up for the crowd. Zero Spain ran the “Amigos” class which is a 70 km (43 mile) distance so there was some battery pack swapping going on during the race.
At 7 mins into the race video you see a video edit that I believe was a track-side battery swap / camera cleaning pit stop.
Three things become immediately apparent when watching the video and looking at the pictures.
1) Zero Motorcycles can handle water crossings
Oriol Vila was in water over the motor with no rear fender. The Zero MX was getting seriously wet. The bike kept going and Oriol was not showing any signs of getting shocked.
2) Electric motorcycles will kill the competition in dead engine starts
Dead engine starts require the rider to start the bike only after the start flag drops. ICE bikes need at least a full turn of the crank shaft to fire up. It takes a second or two. Electric motorcycle motors don’t idle. Flag drops, turn throttle, nuff said. Watch the video to see Oriol take two rows of gassers before they even got their bikes started.
3) Electric motorcycles (the Zero MX specifically) are fast. Faster than a lot of guys on thumpers
The only place the ICE bikes had an advantage was in higher gears at the start of the race. Once things got rough, the Zero was overtaking 250’s and 450’s left and right.
Check out the pictures and videos of the race after the break.
In: Zero Motorcycles · Tagged with: Bassella Race, ebike racing, ebikes and water, Electric Motorcycle Racing, Espana, EV Racing, Facebook, gas vs electric, la Basella Race, Oriol Vila, pictures, Racing, Spain, Video, water crossings, Zero Motorcycles, Zero Motorcycles Spain, Zero Spain
Zero To Put Battery Swap To The Test In 3 Hour Sand Race
At the end of this month Zero Motorcycles and French powersports dealer ATV Quad 31 will take part in the Le Touquet Enduropale, a 3 hour race in the deep sands of Northern France. French mountain biking champion Thibault Veuillet will ride the Zero MX through the power robbing sand. 15 to 20 minute laps will force a battery swap every lap resulting in 9 total swaps. If the electric team wants to be competitive they will need to minimize the time involved in removing the spent pack and installing a fresh one.
In: Racing, Zero Motorcycles · Tagged with: ATV Quad 31, ebike racing, electric MX racing, France, Le Touquet Enduropale, Racing, sand, Thibault Veuillet, Zero Motorcycles
Are Electric Motorcycles As Fast as Gas Bikes? Yates Proves Yes
When an electric bike built by a handful of guys beats the track day favorites like the SV650, Ducati NCR 1000 and a Ducati 848 in a WERA event at Fontana, it’s hard to argue against electric being every bit as fast as gas. Chip Yates and the SWIGZ.com Pro Racing team did just that taking 3rd place in the Heavyweight Twins Superstock Expert class at WERA. On the same day they took 2nd in the Heavyweight Twins Superbike Expert class.
In a Gas 2.0 interview with Susan Schick yesterday (video after the break), Chip explained that on the first lap he took it easy to let the tires come up to temperature. He did not do the warm up lap. The Electric Superbike had 30 Ah of capacity and Chip anticipated using 27 Ah. After the first lap Chip began “thrashing it” and riding the bike hard. In a second video embedded below you see Chip passing Stephen Foreman’s SV650 on the outside. The sound of the electric motor spooling up in stark contrast to the vTwin rumbling and grabbing gears.
In: Electric vs Gas, Racing · Tagged with: Auto Club Speedway, Chip Yates, Chip Yates Interview, electric vs gas, electric vs ICE, Fontana, interview, Racing, SWIGZ, WERA, WERA electric bike
2011 Mission R Pics And Specs
After months of teasing we finally get a look at Mission Motors second iteration of an electric race bike, the Mission R.
It was worth the wait. The bike is stunning and packs some serious power in a package smaller than a 600cc gasser. The 14.4 kWh battery pack has 1.9 kWh more capacity than the 2010 MotoCzysz e1pc. The Mission EVT electric drive gives it a 3 phase AC Induction for 141 HP, 115 ft-lbs of torque at the crank for a top speed of 160 mph. Regen and power delivery are programmable to suit the rider.
But hold on, how much does it weigh? 545 lbs. Whew, just made the TTXGP weight limt! Good thing because Mission Motors will race the Mission R with the rest of the electric motorcycles in TTXGP.
About the time Mission redesigned their website, James Parker showed up on the team page. He did not manage to talk Mission into one of his patented RADD front ends but he did design the Mission R chassis from scratch around the Mission EVT and the payload of lithium that powers it. Mission brought in Timothy Prentice of Motonium to wrap the bike in sexy. He’s the guy who designed my late 90’s bike-lust, the Honda Superhawk VTR 1000 and that vTwin sport bike prototype Honda should have built.
Mission did a great job of highlighting the EVT. When you look at it there is not doubt the bike is electric. It seems the electric motorcycle will never loose the tank but I’m not sure my mind can do without it yet anyway.
Before I paste in the specs and press release I’ll mention it is great to see an established technology corporation like Texas Instruments get behind Mission and support their race efforts. The Mission R looks poised to make their marketing spend pay off in the 2011 race season.
Be sure to stop by the Progessive Internation Motorcycle Show this weekend in LA to check it out.
The specs, more pics and the press release below.
In: Mission Motors · Tagged with: 2011, James Parker, Mission R, Motonium, Timothy Prentice
Electric Vs. Gas – Chip Yates To Race WERA Series
Chip Yates and the SWIGZ.com Pro Racing team annouced today they will run their electric superbike in the WERA Motorcycle Roadracing series against the gassers. They will start in the Heavy Weight Twins series racing Ducati 1198’s and KTM RC8’s and see how things go. In February they plan to add 20% more power and try to run with the faster classes with 1000 cc inline fours. This is earlier than anyone expected electric to be going head to head with gas but it is a welcome development.
Last month TTXGP announced rules that set the maximum motorcycle weight for the Open Class at 250 Kg. Chip’s bike weighs 266 Kg which disqualifies his current electric superbike from running in the class. SWIGZ.com Pro Racing sent out a press release announcing they would not run in the TTXGP series and criticized TTXGP of promoting “Scooter Racing”. FIM later followed TTXGP’s lead with a 250 Kg weight limit for their ePower electric race series. You can read more about the situation here. You can read TTXGP’s response here.
This latest development will no doubt bring a good amount of visibility to the WERA race series. The SWIGZ.com team is claiming power levels exceeding MotoGP from their electric superbike. The weight of the battery pack needed to get Chip to the finish line and the placement of the batteries high on the bike may cause handling issues that keep it from behaving well enough to beat the gas bikes.
The bike will hit the track for the first time at Infineon Raceway December 15, 2010. The first WERA race they enter will be January 9, 2011 at Auto Club Speedway in California.
See the full press release after the break.
The latest eKRAD Video And Some Specs
If you have been dreaming of a world where beautiful, scantily clad women roost on electric motorcycles, it appears you need to move to Germany. Electric motorcycle company eKRAD has photographic proof that at least one of said ladies exists. Judging by the look on her face, the bike is a blast to ride…she makes it look so easy.
But hey, let’s talk about the eKRAD bikes. Youtube user mangusmayer has been teasing electric motorcycle enthusiasts for the last few years with videos and pictures of a nice looking electric enduro (aka “C-KRAD”) and supermoto (aka “S-KRAD”). Magnus also posted video of Germany’s first electric ATV set up with street tires spinning donuts on pavement.
In: eKRAD · Tagged with: 72 volt, ADAS, C-KRAD, dirtbike, eKRAD, electric dirtbike, electric enduro, electronic motorcycle, Germany, Magnus Mayer, S-KRAD, SASS
Mission Gets $500K – Electric Drive Package Trend Coming?
Image courtesy of Amarok Consultants
Mission Motors was granted $505,381 for development of the Mission Electric Vehicle Technology (Mission EVT) by the California Energy Commission. The announcement reveals that Mission will build a downtown SanFrancisco facility able to crank out 30,000 EVT’s per year and employ 100 locals.
From the California Energy Commission news release:
Electric vehicles components – $505,381 to San Francisco-based Mission Motor Company to help it bring its prototype electric vehicle components to commercial production. In 2007 the company developed Mission One, a high performance electric motorcycle. The company used that technology to create battery modules and motor control systems that will work in other electric motorcycles, scooters, cars, buses and even outdoor power equipment. Along with the Energy Commission grant, Mission Motor Company will provide match funding of $623,581 to create an assembly facility in downtown San Francisco that should be capable of producing 30,000 battery packs and motor control systems each year by 2015, creating as many as 100 jobs. If used in a motorcycle, the resulting powertrain will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 72 percent and save 70 gallons of petroleum each year. If used in a light duty passenger vehicle, the powertrain will cut emissions by the same percent as it displaces 575 gallons of petroleum yearly.
It seems we are seeing a trend in EV design and funding developing here. Mission Motors is not the first company to focus its electric drive expertise into an integrated electric drive package. MotoCzysz developed and markets the MotoCzysz Electric D1g1tal Dr1ve based on what it learned from the e1pc electric project. MotoCzysz’ eDD or “suitcase” is a fully integrated drive train for use with motorcycles and other vehicles.
Zero Motorcycles was granted $900,000 a few months back by the California Energy Commission to develop a new electric drivetrain. The press release said the edrive would be used for Zero Motorcycles. No word on them developing a package like the eDD or the EVT at this point but it might be a good move unless they feel they have enough free money.
Mission EVT Electric Drive Platform
All electric motorcycle companies put extensive research into getting batteries and motors to play together nicely in an electric drive format. They worked out power delivery glitches and irregularities, developed ways to keep the motor and batteries cool and identified the best combination of technologies for the task. All of these small details are critical for a happy EV ownership experience.
Mission and MotoCzysz distilled their core knowledge assets down and packaged it as a building block for purchase by other companies. No one knows what the ultimate EV package is yet. Brammo, Zero, Quantya, etc come closer with each model iteration to figuring that out but no one has nailed it yet. While they attempt to nail the product they need to develop a distribution network, dealers, marketing, etc so they can scale up product sales. These are things that are tough to build and other legacy manufacturers already have them in place. With this in mind, it makes a lot of sense to package what you are good at and sell it to folks who are good at the rest.
Realistically, I think Mission Motors knows there is not enough $70,000 electric Superbike customers to support their business long term. However, they now have a product packed with intellectual property they can sell right now. Companies who have more money can buy the package and figure out what type of EV the world really needs and put it in their garage.
The California Energy Commission thinks it’s worth throwing $500K at. I think we can count on the electric drive package trend continuing.
Source: California Energy Commission – Thanks for the tip Harry!
Image Source: Withheld for the benefit of one lucky PlugBike.com reader. Hell For Leather – Congrats BrammoFan, enjoy the sticker!
In: Mission Motors, News · Tagged with: Electric Drive Package, Electric Drive Platform, Mission EVT, Mission Motors, Misson
Mission Motors Will Race 2011 Season On The New Mission R
Mission Motors quietly announced on their website plans to race the 2011 season but they have not named events or a specific electric race series. They also show the silhouette of the new Mission R. There are no details of the bike beyond the picture and we are left wondering if the bike will use the Mission EVT drivetrain they announced yesterday at SEMA.
Mission writes on their website:
The racing circuit is the proving ground for Mission technology. Our customized Mission race bikes carry the same advanced electric powertrain found in our production motorcycles. Mission’s Motorsports Team will compete in races throughout the 2011 Season. Through a commitment to success on the track, the Mission Racing team aims to set the mark for electric performance.
Hit the break for more pictures and everything I can gather from the picture…
In: Mission Motors · Tagged with: 2011, Electric Race Bikes, Mission EVT, Mission Motors, Mission One PLE, Mission R
ATK Puts Their Chips On Electric With The ATK-Le
After building gas bikes for 25 years, Salt Lake City based ATK USA plans to enter the electric motorcycle market with the ATK-Le (Law Enforcement). ATK has built an electric supermoto and dualsport based on their successful ATK 450, which they plan to sell to police and authority customer agencies, or departments. ATK had previously supplied a rolling chassis to build the Electric Moto EMAX 72DS prototype I covered last December. I loved it for its traditional 12-inch travel Ohlins suspension, Talon/Excel wheels, and premium spec combined with a race proven aluminum chassis. No deal was struck with Electric Moto so ATK is now building the bike on its own. However, they don’t believe electric motorcycles are ready for mass consumption by civilians, at least not yet. They think the simplicity and quiet nature of electric drive makes it perfect for urban patrol duty.
The ATK-Le uses a Perm motor and a 72 volt system to produce 36 ft-lb of torque. The 225 pound bike will have a top speed of 75 miles per hour with a 100 mile range. ATK estimates this will translate to a 3 hour continuous run time while being put to use by law enforcement agencies. A second generation bike is also in the works with more power and a 3 phase AC motor.
See the full spec sheet after the break.
In: ATK, News · Tagged with: American Motorcycles, ATK, ATK USA, ATK-Le, Frank White, Jon Syverson
