The coming of the electric motorcycle

A longer range and slightly lighter weight costs around US$400 more, and that brings with it a set of 48 Volt NiZn Evercell MB 5O Batteries and a speed charger.

If you want a very fast machine, capable of 65mph with acceleration equivalent to a high performance two stroke 250cc motorcycle, the engine can be upgraded to an output of 27 bhp by swapping in a different controller.

“To get 27 bhp, the only thing we really need to change is the controller, so instead of a 300amp controller, we put in a 650 amp controller so it’s just the amps on the controller and that’s about an extra US$400.”

“The controller is programmable with any Windows-based PC which allows the bike’s performance to be adjusted to meet the needs of the rider for range, acceleration, torque, and throttle response.

“Sometimes we use race batteries which can deliver more amps than the standard lead acid too.”

So far, Electric Motorsport has built around a dozen GPRs and two Supermotards, though the future is clouded as Derbi was recently sold and the future supply of the rolling chassis is unclear. “Piaggio, that owns Vespa, has just bought Derbi, so Piaggio, Vespa and Derbi are now all the same company and they are reorganising their distribution here and we’ll have to wait and see.

“Ideally what we’d like to do is have the design manufactured by Derbi or another manufacturer,” says Kolin. “The price is high right now because they are custom made as a one-off motorcycle for people who want something different. If they were made by Derbi the price would come down at least 30 or 40 percent and maybe more,” he said.

And that’s the interesting part, because although we’re looking at a motorcycle that costs a 50cc price, the electric motorcycle that is built on the same chassis, has the performance of a red blooded 250 two stroke. Perhaps not quite the same maximum power output (approximately half), but an electric motor makes its maximum torque at the bottom of the rev range, so it punches out of corners quicker than a motorcycle of 500cc would, all with complete control as the torque curve is almost linear.

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