The problem of getting a satisfactory combination of performance, weight and range from an electric motorcycle is proving to be one that even the biggest players in the industry are struggling with – and while that’s an area where White Motorcycle Concept’s unique aerodynamic approach has undeniable potential to offer substantial improvements it’s far from the only part of the industry that could benefit from the same thinking.
The simple fact is that regardless of the powertrain chosen for future motorcycles, pressure from tightening emissions limits and – even more importantly – customers buying those bikes means every manufacturer must untangle the same Gordian knot: how to improve performance from one bike generation to the next while simultaneously reducing its emissions. What’s the easiest route to lower emissions? Burn less fuel. What’s the best way to improve fuel consumption? Reduce drag, cutting the amount of energy that’s wasted simply trying to shift air out of the way.
White Motorcycle Concept’s patented duct introduces airflow through the bike rather than forcing it aside. As well as reducing frontal area, a key part of the drag equation, it lets airflow take a more direct route from the front of the bike. As such it opens the door to a virtuous circle. If you’re using less power to push through the air, you can achieve the same performance with a smaller powertrain. A smaller powertrain is lighter, so chassis components including suspension and brakes don’t need to be as hefty, compounding that weight benefit. What’s more, a more compact powertrain takes up less space in the bike allowing WMC’s duct to be enlarged and even more efficient, boosting the aero gains even more.
Given the slow take-up of electric motorcycles in the market it looks like the internal combustion engine’s future is secure for many years to come, with governments and manufacturers increasingly backing down on self-imposed deadlines to switch to zero-emissions powertrains. Instead the thrust is turning towards alternative combustion fuels – from high-ethanol biofuels to more ambitious projects like compressed natural gas, synthetic petrol and even hydrogen. But each has its own issues. High ethanol petrol reduces fuel economy, so you’ll get fewer miles to the tankful. CNG and hydrogen also offer less range thanks to the bulky nature of the fuels, and synthetic petrol – while promising as a drop-in replacement for fossil fuels – is hugely expensive, so if it’s adopted there will be a vastly increased focus on fuel economy. So, once again, slashing the aerodynamic drag of future motorcycles is going to be a vital part of staying competitive and persuading riders that the next generation of low-emissions models are an improvement on their existing bikes.
To take an extreme example, look at the hydrogen-fuelled HySE prototype that Kawasaki demonstrated at Le Mans back in April. It uses a version of the supercharged, 1000cc four-cylinder engine from the H2 superbike to get the performance that riders expect – hydrogen combustion engines need forced induction and direct fuel injection to operate efficiently and reach power levels equivalent to normally-aspirated petrol engines – and its entire rear section is filled with enormous hydrogen tanks, leaving no space for luggage or a passenger. Since they need to withstand around 700 bars of pressure, the hydrogen tanks can’t be sculpted to fit neatly into the available space, like liquid fuel tank, and instead need to be bulky cylinders, compounding the problem. If the bike were to be fitted with WMC’s patented duct, it could open a route to improved range and smaller, lighter hydrogen tanks.
The same logic can be applied regardless of the powertrain and fuel type. Drag reduction is, quite simply, free performance, saving the energy that would normally be spent shovelling air from one place to another and letting you use it to go further and faster.