Electric Sports Bike

INVENT

Building upon all the learnings from our previous projects the WMCSRS is the world’s first electric sports bike to incorporate their patented intelligent aerodynamic duct producing a 10% reduction in aerodynamic drag.

In re-engineered ZERO SR/S the engineering team explored over 39 duct designs and 8 front fender designs, to optimise the aerodynamic impact upon the electric sports bike. This work further developed WMC’s understanding of duct and motorcycle interaction and areas of focus to maximise impact upon the motorcycle’s range.

INNOVATE

Within this application the design team have created a vertically bifurcated duct that picks the air up behind the front wheel and navigates the existing ZERO SRS architecture and exits the bike just under the seat. Through the baseline testing phase, the engineering team used F1 style aero rakes in front and behind the front wheel and in front of the rear wheel to gain a deep understanding of the air flow.

This work identified the impact of the upstream architecture on the performance of the duct and so bespoke front fenders and fork shrouds have been created to enhance the overall performance.

CREATE

Since November 2023 we have been working on an accelerated development programme to deliver this proof of concept, to greater understand the benefits of incorporating the duct. Following processes and procedures learnt whilst working in F1, and honed on similar previous projects, the in house engineering teams have rapidly developed the concept; using a range of validated in-house modelling and computer fluid dynamics simulation techniques, prototyping and validation, using aero rakes commonly used in high level motorsport, and finally engineering for, and delivering, full assembly, enabling real world testing.

The concept behind this central air duct has been honed as part of the White Motorcycle Concept’s land-speed record programme, and in the WMCSRS development the optimised dual-channel design, and upstream architecture, delivers a 10% increase in aerodynamic efficiency, equating to 9% increase in range at highway speeds.

The aerodynamic efficiency gain can be used to extend range or lower costs, reducing the need for a larger battery, which in turn cuts down on weight, charge time, and battery expenses. The duct is affordable to integrate and manufacture, with its range benefits remaining consistent over time. It enables increased top speed (max), top speed (sustained) and acceleration with a very low risk of component failure, and its advantages increase with higher-speed riding, unlike batteries, which tend to lose efficiency under such conditions.