When it comes to aerodynamic efficiency, it seems everybody and their grandmother is hopping on the proverbial bandwagon of breaking wind as subtly as possible – and in a world where energy compliancy is the new black, companies are investing fistfuls of green into anything that will reduce drag.
Amid all the hullabaloo is White Motorcycle Concepts (WMC) – a small but powerful business, hoping to make big waves with their new mystery projects – and one in particular looks like it’ll be the splash of the coming season.
Enter the WMC250EV – an electric superbike that WMC plans to use to break the current World Land Speed Record of 366.94 km/h (228 mi/h).
WMC won’t officially release the bike for another six days, but we’ve been given some photos to squint at, as well as some eye-opening specs on the development process.
According to a news article from MCN, the WMC250EV will be the first electric motorcycle to boast a range twice that of the average e-competition – and they’re not stopping there.
WMC is in the process of patenting three gems that they have stuffed into the WMC250EV – each innovation a valuable addition to today’s market, should the patents be allowed into the mainstream motorcycle industry.
‘V-air technology’ is the main patent that will help WMC’s need for speed and is described by their website as being “a patent granted (UK) and pending (Europe, USA & Japan) proven technology that reduces the motorcycle’s aerodynamic drag by 69% (in its most extreme form)”.
The drag reduction is achieved by upping the downforce and stability of the bike – without changing the rider experience up top.
‘D – Drive,’ the second project, involves a clever front-wheel kinetic energy recovery/deployment system that will bring regenerative braking to the world of bikes – something that has up until now only been in electric cars.
“Under acceleration, a traditional motorcycle rotates around the rear wheel, lifting the front wheel from the ground…theoretically, incorporating our [D – Drive] means these loads are more evenly distributed, reducing rotation, allowing the drive benefit of the motor to be applied to the front wheel.”
The last innovation, ‘F – Drive,’ stands for ‘final drive.’
Most of this last method has been kept secret, though the WMC website explains the F – Drive simply as “provid(ing) further efficiency gains, supporting the mass introduction of e-motorcycles…through material selection and accurate lubrication deployment”.
Robert White, Founder and CEO of White Motorcycle Concepts, says in a statement: “We are delighted to be able to announce that we will be launching our concept to the World on 23 June 2021. We have been very lucky to secure a World-Class Venue for the launch and are excited about releasing the concept into the public domain.”
For a company hell-bent on redefining the future of motorcycle riding, WMC has a serious chance at disrupting the motorcycle market as we know it.
Looking forward to the big reveal!
For more information on innovations in the motorcycle world, head over to WebBikeWorld.
Source: MotorbikeWriter.com