Mission One electric superbike tests Infineon
These pictures were snapped as Tom Montano lapped Infineon Raceway aboard the 150mph Mission One electric superbike. The bike was undergoing shakedown tests in preparation for its first competitive outing at the TTXGP on June 12. No word on how fast the Mission One was able to lap one of our all-time favorite circuits, but it looks like Tom's getting on it pretty hard -- check out the bobbled tires and fully compressed forks. It must be pretty exciting to wring out a near silent 100lb/ft of torque.
That torque figure is roughly equal to that of the Ducati 1098 R, but available in full from just 1rpm. And we thought 62.5lb/ft was a lot when we tested the Zero S electric supermoto, which won't compete with the Mission One at the Isle of Man.
Still no info on what's hiding beneath the $68,995 Mission One's fully enclosed fairing. Is it a bespoke frame or one borrowed from an existing superbike?
TTXGP via AutoBlogGreen
Wes Siler. April 28, 2009 — Permalink
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very cool , its really happening..interesting times this are,... I found my self coming to this site every day now, thank you for very well presented interesting information
Esteban
It is very exciting, we couldn't be happier to see genuine performance-oriented, but eco-friendly innovation taking place in the motorcycle world.
Thanks for visiting, we're glad to have you as a reader.
So what the heck does the left lever do?
I think I remember you saying the Zero moto's didn't have a clutch (for wheelies).
So is this 4wd ATV style with the back brake actuated by the left lever?
I wanna see the on-board footage. I see at least 2 cameras mounted to the bike. One on the tail and one on the front fairing (right side).
Yeah, it would be very interesting all the other noises you would hear at the racetrack when you don't have so much engine noise. I wonder if he can hear his knee pucks slide :-)
When el-powered bikes goes the same distance, have (at least) the same longevity as petrol combusition engine powered, produce similar performance AND will recharge in max 1 minute - then it will take over the world. Racing drives innovation, so it will be only a matter of time. Thanx for a great e-zine, guys!
Keep in mind the Zero S tops out at 60mph. A competitive bike would probably require a transmission, but then again the first Teslas weren't equipped with a 2-speed transmission...
Holy shit, it not only exists, it works.
Will they release a special Mission One playing card / lolly stick, as a bolt-on for those of us who require that our motorcycles make NOIZE? - maybe problematic with mag wheels.
BP
Nah, mags with lolly sticks would just sound like thumpers.
Until Super-Capacitor batteries are perfected, 1 minute charge times are a fantasy..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_capacitor
Just as a side note to the Mission One marketing team: get your test rider some leathers that don't look like they've been down ten times. It's not a good reflection on your bike.
@Troy - I just had a race on little 2 stroke NSR50s this weekend, and I could hear my pucks very well. With an electric bike, scraping pucks may beat out the drivetrain as the dominant sound in corners (they were quite loud)!
I can hear my sliders on any bike with stock pipes, so I'm sure you can hear them on this.
the future is Now.
Hooray for some different motorcycle styling. I don't know that I like it but I give them props for a different look.
the style is unique... like the 999 & RC8, the Mission One stands out in a crowd of SAME.
Wes,
Thanks for bringing all the cool stuff on the site. Great compilation of intelligent bike info.
Question though,
It's electric and awesome (and I know through my own personal experience riding track days on my own 2 bikes ), but what about the auditory experience? I know that I try not to look at my tach at all when racing. And I used to know within about 500rpm of where I was by just the sound of my exhaust. I had it memorized like a musician has a musical ear.
How do you tackle this angle?
Does it just not apply?
Instead of sound, are you using the perceived rate of acceleration from your vision?
Thanks
Cool, it's here and it seems to be working...
Question is, what's the lifespan of those battery packs? I hope it features a hot swap (change battery packs easily).
With only 1 moving thing in the motor, i wonder what's the maintenance cycle gonna look like.
I wonder what it's like going 150mph and only hearing the wind pass you by...
Carlos: good question. The lack of engine noise and the punctuation provided by gears does initially make electric bikes feel slower. Then you realize that instead of only being able to accelerate with max torque once every gear for a brief moment, you can do it always, on demand, but just twisting the throttle. You feel rather than hear the performance.
Know that feeling you get from riding a bike over driving a car? Being out in the elements, smelling things, feeling the wind? Now add the ability to hear things around you. That sort of clicked for me when I rode the Zero S, I was sitting at a red light and heard a subway train pass underneath the road. Neat.
Michael: There's virtually no maintenance on electric motors, you just have to keep up with consumables and things like changing the fork oil, brake fluid etc.
The last time I went 150mph, the only thing I could hear was wind noise.
Has anyone else thought that what we're looking at is just the most efficient mock-up of body work? I mean, you don't have to be a graduate of graphic design to see that this bike is ugly as sin.
I'd like to think that they're just testing the engine's compatibility. Because I'll spend my house's down payment elsewhere if the production version looks like what we see here.