IT World interviewed Zero Motorcycles director of engineering Kenyon Kluge:

March 26, 2010, 02:48 PM — ITworld — This interview is part of ITworld’s regular “How I Got Here” series which focuses on the career path of successful IT professionals.

Whoever said that electrical engineers were a bunch of pocket protector wearing, Star Wars watching, RPG playing Dilberts? Kenyon Kluge, Director of Electrical Engineering at Zero Motorcycles, has raced motorcycles professionally, spends time surfing in Santa Cruz, and has never worn a pocket protector.

Kenyon jumped from a large IT company to a startup to combine his love of technology with his love of motorcycles, and now is a member of IEEE and the Director of Electrical Engineering at Zero Motorcycles, a Scotts Valley, California manufacturer of gas-free electric motorcycles.

I started out at Cabrillo College here in Santa Cruz for a Civics degree, but eventually decided that wasn’t what I wanted to pursue. Then I went to ITT Technical School down in Los Angeles.

Read the complete interview at:
How I Got Here: Kenyon Kluge, Director of Electrical Engineering, Zero Motorcycles

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One of the global leaders in the electric motorcycle business is Zero Motorcycles . Engineered and designed to take aspects of traditional motorcycles and combine them with innovative electric technology, Zero Motorcycles is creating industry-leading electric motorcycles that are energy efficient, high performance, and exhilarating to ride.

Since its inception, Zero Motorcycles has been dedicated to building motorcycles for riders of all kinds. The entire line of Zero Motorcycles offers acceleration and speed with optional settings on the dirt bikes for the less aggressive rider. What separates Zero from the competition is the performance, quality and reliability of each bike.

Read the complete article here:
Zero Motorcycles | ‘Electric’ Company Profile

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In late October 2009, Zero Motorcycles’ Zero S and DS electric bikes were issued a Certificate of Conformity from the Environmental Protection Agency, which cleared them to be allowed on US roads.

According to the EPA, the Zero S and DS achieve an astounding equivalent of 455 mpg, and generate zero grams of carbon emissions.

The two electric motorcycles also earned certification from both the U.S. and Canadian governments in the vehicle safety standards field, which makes them eligible for sale in both countries. Buyers in the US can also received Federal tax credits – 10% of the purcgase price.

After credits, the on-road Zero S and off-road Zero DS come in at just $8,995.

Source:
Zero S and DS Electric Motorcycles Certified By EPA, Ready to Hit the Roads, 455 MPG

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Thanks to the successful debut of the TTXGP zero-emissions motorcycle race at the Isle of Man earlier this year, the organizers behind the racing series have decided to go all out in 2010. They are including a Supermoto class, as well as the Pro1 and Pro2 classes already announced.

The new Supermoto class will be run in partnership with the Peveril Motorcycle Club. Peveril, founded in 1923, ran the first organized Supermoto event at the Isle of Man in 2005. The exact details will be finalized in early October.

Source:
Green Autoblog.

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The Tork India team, consisting of five engineering students, without a sponsor, earned a third place podium finish in one of the world’s most notorious circuits — that of the Isle of Man Time trials, during the first ever zero emissions TTXGP.

They’re already preparing for next year.

According to the new set of regulations, the Tork India team needs to have a bike that will not only clock over 100 miles an hour but also be able to race on professional circuits for longer time durations. Kapil Shelke, team leader says, “The total budget for the entire race season next year is Rs four crore. We need to have extra packs of batteries, which alone cost more than 50 lakhs. In addition to that we need to develop a new chassis, transmission systems, and upgrade the electronic systems of the bike, which will cost a lot as most of the materials have to be imported from America or from Europe.”

Read the complete article at Express India.

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India — TI India has just entered into the Indian e-bike and scooter market (dominated by imports from China!), a market that has been growing steadily in the last few years.

The scooters offer low running costs, no more noise than a hum, and zero emissions. Hero Motors and TVS have also introduced electric scooters into India.

BSA Motors, a strategic business unit of TII and a part of the multi-billion dollar Murugappa Group, launched one of the widest ranges of e-scooters, in Pune. The range consists of three no-riding-license-needed 250W scooters, as well as 500W and 800W vehicles.

At the bottom of the range is the BSA Smile, a 250W scooter with a top speed of 25 km/h and a range of 60 km per charge. At Rs 25,600 ex-Pune, it is also the most inexpensive product of the range and is being aimed at school teens. The other 250W scooters in the range are the Diva and the Street Rider, which are more stylish in order to appeal to the college crowd.

At the top of the line are the Roamer and Roamer+ models. The Roamer comes with a 500W motor which gives it a top speed of 40 km/h. The Roamer+ is capable of 45 km/h with its 800W motor. Both vehicles have a range per charge of about 50 km. These scooters are aimed at housewives and working professionals, and can carry two comfortably.

BSA has opened a brand new 300-million rupee plant at Ambattur near Chennai built specifically for assembling e-scooters. The plant has an initial production capacity of 150 scooters a day, which can be ramped up to 300 vehicles per day. The company is trying to reduce dependence on foreign components.

The company’s next focus is Maharashtra, with around 12 dealerships and eight sub-dealers planned in eight major towns in the state in this year

Visit BSA Website

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The MotoCzysz E1pc electric superbike, which uses an iPhone for all its instrumentation, ran in The Isle of Man Time Trials last week.

The E1pc was a part of the TTXGP, the world’s first zero emissions road race. Enabling it to be a part of the race and a contender are 10 battery packs and three motors. The bike can reach 120 mph in seven or eight seconds.

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The Zero Motorcycle, designed by former NASA engineer Neal Saiki, is a street-legal dirt bike.

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Kingston University, UK — Kingston University is working on what it expects to be its revolutionary electric motorbike. A team of six final-year engineering students are entering their bike, known as the Firstest, in this Friday’s (12 June) first zero-emissions Grand Prix, part of the Isle of Mann TTXGP. Its competitors come from  America, India, Italy, Germany and Austria.

Paul Brandon, course director for motorcycle engineering, said the Kingston team was happy with the final tweaks they had made,  and are confident the bike would perform well. Rider George Spence has spent the past few days riding the battery powered bike on the Isle of Mann. The bike is capable of reaching speeds up to 102 mph.

Motorcycle engineering students Dean Goldsmith, Michael Payne, Sean Whittaker, Alex Jones-Dellaportas, Gonzalo Carrasco and Drew Corbin,  built the bike as part of their university course, beginning last October.

The bike  runs on a custom-built, 72-volt battery and wastes only 10 per cent of the energy it carries compared to a petrol-based vehicle which wastes 70 per cent. The overall CO2 used by the bike, including the CO2 generated to charge the batteries, will be around 50 per cent less than a petrol or diesel-power bike.

Source: Kingston University

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Kingston electric TT bike nears completion

The Isle of Man hosts the most famous road race for motorcycles in the world. Indeed, teams from all over the world compete in Time Trials Grand Prix, or TTXGP as it is known.

The 2009 version, to be held on June 12, is being hailed as the first “zero emissions” Grand Prix. The motorcycles involved will be electric, not gasoline powered.

A team of six final-year students, currently studying for a BEng in Motorcycle Engineering Design at Kingston University (England), are developing their own entry.

The design specification is for a motorcycle that will average 80mph around the 38 mile track. That’s thirty-eight miles with the cycles going at top speeds.

The Kingston group currently are working with a ‘mule’ bike, from which they are evaluating the innovative design solutions and theoretical calculations they’ve made for their offering.

The “fastest woman around the Isle of Man circuit,” Maria Costello has signed up to ride their bike, as she intends to be the one to win this landmark race!

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