Brammo’s Empulse electric motorcycle set a new lap record this past weekend at the Infineon Raceway. Running against just three other bikes in the TTXGP class, the Empulse lapped the slowest car three times, to beat last year’s record holder with a new lap time of 1:55.150. So why so few bikes running?
Last year’s field was much deeper, but electric motorcycle racing still is largely an amateur effort (the two top contenders this year were pro teams with bikes in production, proving the advantage this offers competitors) so many bikes had to drop out due to mechanical issues. Still, the new Brammo lap record is just 23 seconds behind the top AMA Superbike record, so maybe Empulse driver Steve Atlas and other competitors don’t have as far to go as it would appear to bring electric bike racing mainstream.
Via Gas2.org
Why so few? Racing is expensive. And, setting up a motorcycle for street use is a very different animal than racing. The quality (price) of the parts is much higher for safety reasons, as well as performance.
I think I would miss the high pitched whine of the motors if all racing went electric. The sound of the engines is part of the charm.