Organizers for the upcoming TTXGP zero-emissions motorcycle race have finally released the full list of confirmed participants, which includes 24 motorcycles from 16 individual teams. We had been expecting to see teams from the likes of Mission Motors, Brammo and EVOdesign, and we also see that early rumors of a bike from Motoczysz are now confirmed. Above is a rendering the new electric machine from Motoczysz.

Other interesting entrants include Barefoot Motors, Electric Motorsport and KillaCycle Racing, all from the United States. Teams from the United Kingdom, India, Austria, Germany, Italy and even the Isle of Man itself will also take part in the first-ever running of the event.

In case you couldn't tell, we're very excited to see electric vehicles highlighted in a positive light on the world stage, and interest is sure to build as June 12th draws closer. Click past the break for the full list of teams and riders, and check out the gallery below for a few images.


[Source: TTXGP]

The A123-powered Killacycle crew are at it again and this time it's for keepsies. Although they've been making similarly speedy runs down the quarter-mile strip for some time, on the 23rd of October at the Bandimere Speedway they dotted their i's and crossed their t's to set an official Nedra record. Their result of 7.89 seconds at 168 mph not only gives them the record for fastest electric motorcycle ever but also fastest electric anything ever and yanks that crown from the Altairnano-sponsored, Dennis Berube-driven Current Eliminator V.

The Killacycle crew credited some of their success to the track prep by the guys at Bandimere Speedway who worked hard to deny any slippage of their M&H Racemaster backtire during takeoff despite cranking over 1850 amps of current to each of the two motors. They also give props to Jim Husted from Hi-Torque Electric who helped prepare those motors to handle that flood of energy. Even despite his efforts, though, one did fail on the record-setting run. Of course the person actually holding onto the handlebars (for dear life!), Scotty Pollacheck, deserves kilotons of kudos. If you want to help celebrate their success we noticed while perusing the official Killacycle website that they now have official Killacycle t-shirts. Check out all the captured-on-video record-setting action after the jump.



[Source: Killacycle]

Electric car advocate and vlogger Doug Korthof has posted several videos from EVS23, including the video above, which is a look at Ener1's lithium-ion Prius. Doug asked Ener1 fairly technical questions, so if you are interested in things like the top of the discharge curve, the above video is just for you.

Below the fold is Doug's look at Vectrix's new three wheeler and a walk and chat around the A123 and Killacycle booth. That video has interesting tidbits about the Killacycle crash. Apparently, if the bike had not slowed down, it would have torn the other vehicle in half ... that would have been cool.

Doug is still adding videos and AutoblogGreen was there as well, so stay tuned for more coverage from EVS23 very soon.

Related:

• EVS23: Enerdel's "end-to-end" lithium solution for hybrids
• Ener1 first to integrate lithium-ion battery into HEV

[Source: YouTube]

We've reported previously on the KillaCycle, a battery powered drag bike that stores energy in lithium ion cells from A123 Systems. The last time we heard from them the bike had crashed during a demonstration run back in September. This weekend the KillaCycle was back in action at the Pomona, California drag-strip. This time all went well and the bike made a clean run covering the quarter mile 7.824 seconds at 168 mph. That makes this the first time an electric bike has ever dropped into the seven second bracket into the quarter mile. Those A123 batteries can clearly dump the electrons very quickly when needed!

[Source: KillaCycle, thanks to Domenick for the tip]

Since we have brought you past news on Bill Dube's KillaCycle, we thought that you might like to know that the owner/builder of the machine (and not the normal rider!) is all right after a crash. The accident happened while Dube was giving a demonstration of the electric bike, which is capable of covering the quarter mile in around 8 seconds at over 150 miles per hour. With power like that, it is not surprising that the bike shot out from under Dube while he was putting on a show by doing burnouts. After crashing into a minivan, paramedics took Dube to the hospital for X-Rays.

There is a video at this link of an interview with Bill Dube who explains that the bike uses A123 lithium ion batteries which can propel the bike to sixty miles per hour in less than one second. Right after the interview, you can watch the crash! The accident took place on the 13th in Los Angeles at the Wired NextFest conference. We wish Bill a speedy recovery!

On last thing: please consider this a reminder to be safe while operating any vehicle. Especially consider safety on a motorcycle, where a helmet at the very least should always be worn. Oh yeah, maybe it's time to change the bike's name.

UPDATE: I've pasted the video here after the break!

Related:

• Electric Killacycle to attempt world record dragstrip pass
• Edmunds editor Karl Brauer offers a brief opinion on batteries for electric cars
• Watch an electric motorcycle run an 8-second quarter mile

[Source: TGDaily via Engadget]

The Killacycle is the current world record holder for the quickest quarter mile time for any electric vehicle. It is powered by two 6.7 inch electric motors, which operate on 374 volts of lithium ion power using a custom battery pack provided by A123 Systems. The record run stands at 8.168 seconds at 155.74mph. Think that's fast? Yeah, me too... but not fast enough for the bike's owner, Bill Dube, who believes that he should be able to break the regular motorcycle record of 5.88 seconds at 243mph. This would be a great headline generating story, and would show exactly what is possible from electric motors and new battery technology. While a vehicle that is this fast is probably best left off the street, those who know something about batteries know that by reducing the power output of these same batteries can drastically extend their runtime, which is very exciting indeed.

Related:

• Edmunds editor Karl Brauer offers a brief opinion on batteries for electric cars
• Watch an electric motorcycle run an 8-second quarter mile

[Source: Killacycle via Youtube and Motorcycle News]

Karl Brauer, Editor in Chief at Edmund's has his own blog on the site, and in the latest installment, he highlights an electric motorcycle that I have heard about before, the Killacycle. What I did not know is that the cycle is capable of making a run to sixty from a standing stop in 1.4 seconds. The lithium ion batteries for the cycle come from A123 Systems and cost $12,000 in this one-time application. Karl thinks that if these batteries are available right now for an electric motorcycle, and have been super reliable, then we cannot possibly be that far off from a reasonably priced plug-in hybrid. I think his argument makes perfect sense. Everybody who reads this site is probably familiar with the idea of economy-of-scale. Basically, the more of a product you make, the less each individual product will cost. Makes sense, right? If batteries like these were made in the amounts necessary for a midsize car which sold, say, 50,000 units per year, that $12,000 battery pack should go down in price. That is the idea, at least. Care to comment?

Related:

• Watch an electric motorcycle run an 8-second quarter mile

[Source: Edmunds]