When it comes to aerodynamic efficiency, it seems everybody and their grandmother is hopping on the proverbial bandwagon of breaking wind as subtly as possible – and in a world where energy compliancy is the new black, companies are investing fistfuls of green into anything that will reduce drag.
Amid all the hullabaloo is White Motorcycle Concepts (WMC) – a small but powerful business, hoping to make big waves with their new mystery projects – and one in particular looks like it’ll be the splash of the coming season.
Enter the WMC250EV – an electric superbike that WMC plans to use to break the current World Land Speed Record of 366.94 km/h (228 mi/h).
WMC won’t officially release the bike for another six days, but we’ve been given some photos to squint at, as well as some eye-opening specs on the development process.
According to a news article from MCN, the WMC250EV will be the first electric motorcycle to boast a range twice that of the average e-competition – and they’re not stopping there.
WMC is in the process of patenting three gems that they have stuffed into the WMC250EV – each innovation a valuable addition to today’s market, should the patents be allowed into the mainstream motorcycle industry.
‘V-air technology’ is the main patent that will help WMC’s need for speed and is described by their website as being “a patent granted (UK) and pending (Europe, USA & Japan) proven technology that reduces the motorcycle’s aerodynamic drag by 69% (in its most extreme form)”.
The drag reduction is achieved by upping the downforce and stability of the bike – without changing the rider experience up top.
‘D – Drive,’ the second project, involves a clever front-wheel kinetic energy recovery/deployment system that will bring regenerative braking to the world of bikes – something that has up until now only been in electric cars.
“Under acceleration, a traditional motorcycle rotates around the rear wheel, lifting the front wheel from the ground…theoretically, incorporating our [D – Drive] means these loads are more evenly distributed, reducing rotation, allowing the drive benefit of the motor to be applied to the front wheel.”
The last innovation, ‘F – Drive,’ stands for ‘final drive.’
Most of this last method has been kept secret, though the WMC website explains the F – Drive simply as “provid(ing) further efficiency gains, supporting the mass introduction of e-motorcycles…through material selection and accurate lubrication deployment”.
Robert White, Founder and CEO of White Motorcycle Concepts, says in a statement: “We are delighted to be able to announce that we will be launching our concept to the World on 23 June 2021. We have been very lucky to secure a World-Class Venue for the launch and are excited about releasing the concept into the public domain.”
For a company hell-bent on redefining the future of motorcycle riding, WMC has a serious chance at disrupting the motorcycle market as we know it.
Looking forward to the big reveal!
For more information on innovations in the motorcycle world, head over to WebBikeWorld.