A British engineer is planning to ride his electric-powered Royal Enfield Bullet the length of Britain to film a documentary called Charging Bullet to promote sustainable transport.
The film project is a collaboration between engineer Fred Spaven and filmmaker Finn Varney who met in their local Yorkshire pub 10 years ago.
Fred has converted a tired 1961 Royal Enfield Bullet to run on batteries and will ride the bike from Lands End to John O’Groats over three weeks.
Along the way he will visit fellow engineers who are pioneering clean transport technologies.
Documentary trailer
Finn produces documentary trailer (All images ©Finn Varney/Charging Bullet 2018)Finn has already produced a trailer and posted it on a Kickstarter page.
They have already raised more than a third of their $A11,615 goal to complete the documentary. Donation incentives range from a pillion ride for a day to world premiere cinema tickets, film credits, t-shirts and commercial sponsorship options.
Fred and Finn begin their journey on 8 October 2018 and you can follow their progress on Twitter and follow their progress on the Charging Bullet website.
Charging Bullet
Fred in his workshopFred’s 1961 British-built Royal Enfield Bullet was originally shipped to India for military service and returned to Britain in 2013 when Fred bought it and planned a restoration.
However, when it was resting on his work bench with its old and worn engine and gearbox, Fred decided to convert the vintage petrol bike to run on electricity.
It features 12 lithium batteries from a Nissan Leaf electric car in the bike’s custom-made laser-cut steel subframe, with six more in the panniers.
The Charging Bullet still only has 75 miles (120km) of range, so the Charging Bullet will require plenty of recharging breaks on its 1200-mile (1931km) journey.
The bike’s charger plugs into a domestic socket and takes about four hours for a full charge.
There is also a larger touring battery pack and a fast charger that can provide two full charges a day and double the range.
Charging stops will include visits to fellow engineers, inventors, hydrogen car builders, electric super-bike racers and biogas bus boffins.
The British-made brushed DC axial flux motor provides continuous power of 8.5kW and a peak of 16kW at the bike’s 48V, giving the Bullet a top cruising speed of 60mph (100km/h).
A filming support vehicle will carry a modest ‘first aid’ toolkit, with a bike trailer on tow for emergencies.
The documentary film is being submitted to film festivals in Europe, with invitation screenings and streaming links next year.