Design considerations in an efficient electric motorcycle

This paper presents the design procedure and experimental evaluation of an economical electric motorcycle. A commercial motorcycle, powered by an internal combustion engine (ICE), has been converted to run an on a DC electric motor fed by sealed Pb-acid batteries. A theoretical model has been developed and applied for predicting the motorcycle performance. After conversion the motorcycle was thoroughly tested on surface streets as well as on highways. The performance results obtained from these road tests have been compared with those predicted based on the theoretical model and a strong correlation was found. Other energy conversion schemes may be used to convert existing ICE based transportation systems to battery based transportation systems that will meet zero emission standards.