Electric Race Bikes EGP TTXGP Entry

The folks at Electric Race Bikes chose the simple and lightweight approach to an electric race bike. They converted some type of 125cc-two-stroke-looking rolling chassis to electric using two Agni 95R motors and 7.6 kWh of LiFePO4 batteries. If you know the frame let me know. They didn’t tell me and no one on twitter knew which is unusual.

The total package including Sevcon DC to DC converter and and before putting rider Mike Hannas on top is a feathery 320 lbs. The team plans to be on the grid for all 4 North American TTXGP races.

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Volt Motorcycles Brings More Guru Knowledge To TTXGP Grid

Volt Motorcycles is a group effort by Loren Crotty and Eland Eggers with a major sponsorship from ThunderStruck Motors. Loren and Eland have been employees of ThunderStruck but they have been working on a electric street bike with ICE power output since 2008. Information on the Volt electric race bike has been hard to track down but I finally found their Facebook page. Looks like they have converted a Yamaha R1 for track duty and like many teams they are most likely scrambling to get the bike ready. As of last week the team logo was still being developed and the suspension was being worked over.

More pics and information after the break…

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K Squared Racing’s Zero S TTXGP Bike

Zero Motorcycle’s Electrical Engineer Kenyon Kluge was out at Thunder Hill Park Raceway testing his K Squared Racing Zero S last week. Kenyon decided to get in the TTXGP mix late and did a great job modifying the Zero S for race duty in a short amount of time. The K Squared S retains the stock rear wheel but the forks and front wheel are borrowed from a Suzuki GSXR1000. AfterShocks Suspension did the suspension work and is one of Kenyon’s sponsors.  The battery charger was removed and more batteries were added for more energy and a higher pack voltage. The body work is from a 2007 GSXR600 with some metal work covering the battery pack expansion.

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Roehr eSuperBike Sneak Peak Pictures

Roehr eSuperBike electirc Motorcycle

Walter Roehrich posted pictures of the Roehr eSuperbike on Elmoto.net yesterday. The bike clearly shows 2 AC Induction motors and some nicely packaged batteries and electronics. Walter explained that he would have liked to have the bike ready for the Infineon TTXGP opener this weekend but some delays with the body work and other issues prevented this. Roehr is still planning on a summer 2010 delivery and announced two new dealers. Hollywood Electrics in Hollywood, CA and Ethical Approach in San Jose, CA.

Three eRoehr models will be available at an estimated $16, 965 for the eSuperSport, $27,595 for the eSuperbike and $34,495 for the eSuperBikeRR. Check out Elmoto and the Roehr Motorcycles website for more information.

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Exclusive Specs On The SWIGZ.COM Pro Racing TTXGP Bike

Rider and Owner Chip Yates On the SWIGZ.com Pro Racing Superbike

With one week left until the electric race bikes take to Infineon to kick off the much anticipated 2010 TTXGP series, I got my hands on exclusive detailed spec of the SWIGZ Pro Racing electric superbike. What you see here is not the latest LiFePO4 delivery bike, though the beautify crafted battery racks loaded with 360 life-poe-fours will have the folks on Advrider.com dying to convert a GSXR 750 for dual sport duty.

The SWIGZ bike puts down 145 kW (194 HP) peak and 295 ft/lbs of torque courtesy of a 384 Volt LiFePO4 battery pack and liquid cooled permanent magnet DC motor.  This bike is by far the most powerful on the grid. (what? Here’s a good electric lingo tutorial) The bike has 11.5 kWh (think gas tank size) of energy in its battery pack which is more energy storage than last year’s TTXGP bikes that ran the 38 mile Isle Of Man course. In addition, the SWIGZ bike has the benefits of energy recovery via a patent pending KERS system that will return energy to the batteries when Chip is on the brakes.

Check out the full specs and more pictures after the break.

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SWIGZ Brings Traction Control To The Next Level For TTXGP

The Big Brains Behind The SWIGZ.com Pro Racing Team

In the latest issue of Road Racing World Magazine, Chip Yates reveals more details about the SWIGZ Pro Racing electric superbike Chip will be running in the TTXGP North American series. In the team’s quest for 600cc gas bike lap times, Chip explains some very advanced power management and power delivery logic that will be in place on his bike.

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2010 TTXGP North America Entry List Published

Electric Motorsport R1

The Electric Motorsport Pro Class bike never made it to the 2009 TTXGP due to motor issues. It's ready for 2010.

Yesterday Susan Carpenter announced the entry list for TTXGP North America. I am working on a more details breakdown of the entry list. For now have a look at the TTXGP North America Entry list if you have not already. Some of the teams are covered on previous PlugBike.com articles so please look around if you want to learn more.

Information is scarce on some of the teams. Others ran in last years TTXGP or another electric motorcycle race in 2009.

Have any thoughts on how the teams might stack up? Please let us know in the comments.  Be sure check back here over the next few days for more information.

Square Wave Racing Wants To Go Wild On TTXGP

Square Wave Racing SWR1 Nearing Completion

Square Wave Racing is a garage based electric race team from Columbus, Ohio who saw the potential in electric motorcycle racing after the 2009 TTXGP. John Wild is heading up the project as the rider, crew chief and fabricator for the SWR1 electric motorcycle while his partner Sean Ewing is the electrical engineer behind the project.

Sean and John built the SWR1 by converting a 1996 Honda CBR600F2 with a 76 Volt system based on LiFePO4 battery pack, an air cooled 3 phase AC motor and “a type of transmission”. They are estimating around 43 HP. Obviously Square Wave is not showing all their cards but the pictures below show multiple motors and a whole lot of batteries. Maybe some of our readers can guess how it all works together before Sean spills the beans. Please leave your guesses and insights in the comments below.

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Electric Moto Taps All Wheel Drive Expert Steve Christini

Last we heard from Electric Moto pictures had surfaced of an ATK/Cannondale based prototype electric motorcycle. Now it appears Electric Moto is bringing Steve Christini to assist in making Electric Moto a serious competitor in the Electric Motorcycle industry. Steve has extensive industry knowledge including a very unique two wheel drive technology that has been implemented on dirtbikes, supermoto, sport bikes and bicycles and used in pro level competition with great success. There is no word in the press release on whether Electric Moto will pursue 2 wheel drive technology but it makes a lot of sense for electric drive.

Click the break to read the full press release.

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Zero MX Rider Injured At Motocross Wohlen

Last weekend on April 24 the first race of a Swiss e-Moto MX series was held at Motocross Wohlen in Wohlen, Switzerland. During the first lap of the first heat Tommy Heimburg of ERIDE Motorcycles suffered a serious crash in which his Zero MX frame failed near the head tube. Sources say the crash was a result of the frame failure.  Tommy’s injuries are said to be serious and included a concussion and two broken vertebra a partially collapsed lung (see update below) but they were not life threatening. To my knowledge official medical reports have not been communicated.

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