Another company wants to attempt to claim the world electric land speed record, this time hailing from the UK. White Motorcycle Concepts (WMC) wants to claim the title with its new prototype motorcycle.
The motorcycle, called the WMC250EV, will be ridden by company founder and Chief Executive Officer Rob White when he attempts to break both the British and world electric land speed records over the coming year.
The WMC250EV is a high-speed demonstrator, and took White more than two years to create. It’s not simply a speed machine as the company plans to use its many innovations to create production models the riding public can enjoy.
The company believes it can exceed speeds of 400 km/h (250 mph) thanks to three market-disruptive technologies built into the bike. One of these is ultra-low drag system called V-Air, which is a large duct at the center of the bike. WMC says it forces air through the vehicle, rather than around it. Incredibly, V-Air reduces the WMC250EV’s aerodynamic resistance by as much as 70% compared to a Suzuki Hayabusa according to wind tunnel tests.
The duct also increases the load on the front of the motorcycle allowing the bike to utilize a D-Drive motor unit. This means it is two-wheel drive and can harness regenerative braking energy. Finally, the bike is powered by an F-Drive final drive system fitted to boost power and enhance efficiency; a technology that could be retrofitted to improve existing roadgoing bikes.
WMC hopes to develop these technologies for production motorcycles to vastly reduce CO2 emissions. It has already been granted a UK patent and expects Europe, the USA and Japan to follow suit by the end of August.
The company is already working on a real-world application for the innovations with a 300cc three-wheel hybrid scooter – the WMC300FR – that includes V-Air technology and reduces drag by 25%. That equates to an 18% improvement in fuel efficiency, from aerodynamic improvements alone and when coupled with a small hybrid system enhances the performance to somewhere near 500cc levels, but with 50% less CO2 emissions.
“If you want to demonstrate to the rest of the world that you’ve just invented a new aerodynamic concept that means you can go faster for a given power, the best thing to do is go as fast you can,” says White.
“The records are all champagne, but are actually the insignificant part of the story,” says White. “While this technology allows you to go faster, it also allows you to go much further for the same amount of energy. This has a direct and tangible benefit on CO2 reduction. Market-disruptive ideas like this are uncommon, and if successful, have the potential to revolutionise industry."
The company will make an attempt to set a new mark for the Electric Semi Streamliner World Record in July 2022 at the world’s largest salt flat, the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia. They will have to contend, however, with another electric motorcycle we’ve covered before, the Voxan Wattman.
