Electric motorcycles are fast becoming popular with most options sitting in the A1 vehicle type category. That is, according to the DVLA, equivalent to a 125cc ice bike. But is it really?
The short answer is, no, it's not. and here I'll give you 5 reasons why you should consider an A1 electric motorcycle for your next ride.
CC's are not an accurate indication of power:
Matching KW (power output) to CC's (cubic capacity) is a interesting stance. Yes we can make an educated guess at what a 125cc feels like, we've all ridden one, and yes, a 125cc bike clearly isn't going to give you the top speeds of a 500cc vehicle, but 'cubic capacity' is a measurement of the displacement in the engine and not directly related to power output. It's strange that the DVLA have chosen this route to designate vehicle types for electric motorcycles.
KW Vs Horsepower:
How about horse power? Surely HP is directly calculable to KW? Yes, there is a calculation that will directly translate horse power to KW, it is roughly HP x .746 = KW. So you would imagine this must be a much better way of comparing ice and electric vehicles. Unfortunately this also leaves a lot to the imagination. The problem here is that HP is measured very differently to KW. Horse power is a measurement of the total power output of an engine. This takes into account various things, (full explanation in another blog post here at buckcitybiker), including acceleration and top speed. If you've ever seen a rolling road in action, you'll be familiar with its process. The fact that top speed is included is a hint to the difference between KW and HP, whereas KW, unless derived from HP, is a very accurate measurement of the actual electricity that the motor is using, the input power, and doesn't include top speed.
Rated Vs Peak Power:
Another strange but fortunate point to the way electric motors are rated by the government is their 'rated' power. This refers to the power output that the motor can sustain over a period of 30 seconds. This doesn't take into account the peak power of a system. For example, an 8kw rated motor, with the correct setup, could potentially achieve 20kw in short bursts, (less than 30 seconds). This example is a specialised custom setup and not usually found on a road bike. But the potential is there for a more refined understanding of electric motorcycles.
In contrast, engines are measured at their most powerful, e.g. 59hp @ 5000rpm. where 5000rpm is the optimum speed for max power output.
Torque for days:
It's well known that electric motors have huge amounts of torque, way more than combustion engines. An good example is to compare the Yamaha YZF R1, a very fast 998cc, very powerful ice bike that can go 168mph. It's torque output is 112.4nm @ 11500rpm.
In comparison, the Rooder M1Ps, an electric cruiser that does 50mph with a 4kw motor (50cc class), has 198nm of torque, at all but the very top and bottom revs.
Torque is what you feel pushing you forward when accelerating.
A Final note on Top Speed:
Although electric motors have incredible torque, the lower kw motors suffer with low top speeds, so in order to get up to ice bike speeds, you will need a bigger motor and a battery setup that can handle the large amounts of amps needed to run the motor at top revs. but does anyone actually want to ride at 168mph? I'm guessing not. As long as I can ride at the speeds I require and have enough power to get out of dodge, I'm happy. Do you concur?
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