World’s fastest competitive electric sportsbike: TTX01
Written on November 30, 2008 – 6:37 pm | by BikersUnite
TTX01 was unveiled at the recently concluded NEC Bike Show. The bike, which is built around an old GSX-R chassis, suspension and bodywork, is fitted with two electric motors that produce a total of 86 horsepower and 125Nm of torque.
TTX01 Electric Bike
The TTX01, designed and built by British engineers, was commissioned by the organisers of the world’s first emissions-free grand prix for motorbikes, which will be held on the Isle of Man’s TT circuit next June. It is the most advanced emission-free bike close to commercial production: it is already road-legal in the UK and its makers claim it can go from 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds. A limited number will go on sale at the end of next year, for £20,000(US$30,000).
Currently, the TTX01 is geared for a top speed of 176km/h, and will accelerate from zero to 96km/h in 3.5 seconds. With different gearing, the bike will do up to 200km/h, though at the expense of low-speed acceleration.
The only other electric bikes close to to commercial production are the American company Brammo’s Enertia, due to hit the market next year, and the Vectrix scooter. But, since both of these are aimed at the commuter market, they have significantly smaller motors and top speeds — 50mph and 60mph respectively — than the TTX01.
In the prototype unveiled today, the electric drive assembly has been built into the chassis of a standard Suzuki motorbike. But the final production version, due out in a year’s time, will have its own chassis made from lightweight carbon composite materials. It will also incorporate technologies such as regenerative braking, where dynamos harness the energy that is usually lost when a vehicle slows down, to increase its range.
The updated chassis design will have few of the constraints of a standard petrol-powered bike. “When the cylinders in normal bikes are exploding, that’s an incredibly violent thing to contain so you need a frame which is incredibly strong,” said TTX GP founder Azhar Hussain.
“When you have a mechanical combustion engine, there’s also a whole load of overhead you need to carry: a radiator, oil pumps, fuel pumps, a gearbox. When you take that away, it means you can have a much more compact and tight frame.”
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Tags: electric bike, ttx01, ttxgp