It’s infrequent yet refreshing these days to find somebody straying from the norm and doing different, going off at tangents to everybody else, with a similar target in mind, radically thinking outside the box, for a new way to hit the same target. Ironically, I found one such example at MotoGP 2021 Silverstone with the folks at White Motorcycle Concepts (WMC). A good long chat with Ian told me all I needed to know. Whilst most top speed record attempts seem to endlessly chase more power, taking a step backwards and looking at other possible barriers to address to make reaching the target easier. White Motorcycle COncepts have done this with the new WMC250EV.
I’ve known previously through cycling (yes ok….) that when a rider is doing 30km/h, 80% of the effort the rider is putting in gets used to overcome drag. Therefore reducing that drag coefficient number, the rider can ride faster for the same amount of power. Magnify that speed from 30km/h to motorbike speeds, and that reduction in drag can bring immense benefits. These benefits can include needing a smaller engine with less power to get to the same speed. Simple really…..right?
The road legal Zero SR/F reviewed
The WMC250EV is taking on the challenge of the fastest electric motorcycle currently held by Max Biaggi and Voxan, which took the record last year. White’s radical new design focused on aerodynamic efficiency, making the vehicle slip through the air as efficiently as possible. Extensive modelling and testing in FEA/CFD and wind tunnel has proved the design, with the results better than imagined.
Could the radical design could make its way to road going vehicles?
Not only does increased aerodynamics give speed benefits, but a more aerodynamically pleasing vehicle will also be better on fuel, or Volts. With range being one of the biggest limiting factors for current electric vehicles, aerodynamics can help improve the real-world ranges of electric vehicles.
With a pioneering battery pack and motor setup featuring two-wheel drive, lightweight construction using composite materials, and an aerodynamic profile, WMC250EV is genuinely groundbreaking. With super cool sounding names like V-Air, D-Drive and F-Drive, the WMC250EV is genuinely revolutionary.
The WMC250EV features Whites V-Air technology; this reduces the bike’s drag but up to 69%, which, as described earlier, is a considerable gain. This sees the WMC250EV as almost twice as aerodynamic as a Suzuki Hayabusa, which is considered a top speed beast. The D-Drive technology aims to bring a kinetic recovery/deployment system to a two-wheeler. Whilst these systems are common in four-wheel vehicles; it’s always eluded motorbikes due to tight space restraints due to the design of the motorcycle. Tieing in with the V-air system, which gives more aerodynamic stability, allows the use of an energy recovery system on the front wheel.
WMC250EV tested at Bruntingthorpe
It’s only fitting that one of the UK’s fastest motorcycles gets a vast runway for testing! The video shows the bike running, with its unique shape. While in the testing, the powertrain is only running at 60v, and 100Kw (roughly 137hp), which will be upped to 250Kw or 2.5 times more power after successful testing and run in to go for the record attempt in summer 2022! I’m free for testing, although I don’t have a good record at Bruntingthorpe..
I am delighted with the progress that we have made on the WMC250EV. We were encouraged by the great reception our initial launch at the end of June 21 received and the high level of interest that the project has subsequently gained. This is a completely bespoke motorcycle and for it to run straight out of the box is fantastic. We have a measured and controlled approach to our testing programme to ensure no stone is left unturned and given the results we have gained to date my confidence is building all the time that we will be successful
Robert White
The team aims to take the motorcycle speed record for electric-powered next summer (2022); we’re really looking forward to seeing more from WMC!
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