Last weekend I attended a BMW motorcycle rally in John Day, Oregon. While there I picked up a copy of the Spring 2014 “
Ironbutt” magazine, published by the Iron Butt Association, an organization devoted to riding motorcycles as far as possible in as little time as possible just for fun – something that would not be any fun for me. The magazine is filled with articles about riders riding across the U.S., up to Alaska, back down to Florida and visiting all 48 states within 10 days. So I was floored when I came across a four page technical article (starting on page 58) regarding “Electric Motorcycles”. The article was written by Tom Austin, “IBA Chief Technical Advisor”. It reviewed the potential of electric motorcycles as high-speed long-distance traveling vehicles. Needless to say the article was not 100% positive.
However, I thought it gave an honest review of the production electric motorcycles currently on the market, along with a fair amount of reasonable criticism mostly aimed at battery manufacturers and researchers and their power density claims that never seem to reach production. I did get a kick out of a statement supposedly dreamed up by the automotive industry after California regulators tried to force them to manufacturer electric vehicles during the late 1990's: “There are three kinds of liars: liars, dammed liars, and battery manufacturers”.
Probably the most interesting part of the article was an analysis comparing the number of miles you could travel within 24 hours (the most important consideration to a member of the IBA) on a motorcycle using a IC bike and an electric motorcycle with Level 1, Level 2, and CHAdeMO charging. The author concludes that you could travel 1,582 miles within 24 hours on an IC motorcycle with a 210 mile range fuel tank, 210 miles on a Zero SR in 19 hours (the remaining 5 hours being used for charging), 350 miles on a Brammo Empulse in 21 hours (Level 2 charging) and 756 miles on a Zero with the CHAdeMO charging system installed (but he says that would never happen as you could never depend upon finding a CHAdeMO charger at the end of each ride segment).
The article then goes on to discuss battery swapping (which he believes is not practical), future possible battery technology, compares vehicle costs, prospects for future electric motorcycle advancements (which he believes will continue to be limited to relatively short-range use and commuting) and various other factors that make electric motorcycles unsuitable for fast, long-distance riding. The article concludes: “There has been significant progress in electric motorcycles in recent years, but the technology is a long, long way from being able to provide a practical motorcycle capable of being ridden what readers of this magazine would consider long distances. There may be a niche market for electric motorcycles for use by urban commuters, but they are not now, nor likely to soon be, a cost-effective alternative to conventional, gasoline-powered motorcycles for long distance traveling.”
At the top of the last page is a sidebar titled: “Electric Motorcycle Sets Coast-to-Coast World Record” (about the Moto Electra cross-country trip).
That article is followed by an excellent technical article regarding brake fluid.
If you are interested in knowing more about this organization, you can visit
www.ironbutt.com, where you may be able to order a copy of the Spring 2014 issue of their magazine and read the entire article yourself.
