I'm just interested in your unique point of view of the biggest challenges to full EV racing domination.
For example:
Are the thermal limits of either the battery, motor, or controller creeping up by the end of a race?
Do the motors and limited gearing options with a single fixed gear give the bike a lesser top speed than the gas counterparts? I know it dominates on torque and acceleration.
Could an open class allow for a different total design to take advantage of electric component versatility?
Just a curious interest in the emerging technology. Thanks.
Such a simple question with a very complicated answer...
Yes - each system reaches close to it's operating temperature limit by the end of the race without exceeding them. This is as designed though as if a system was overheating, we'd come up with a solution - either a better cooling method or by detuning the power. With v2.0, I'm very happy with the thermal performance (remember that we've been racing in the middle of summer in California's central valley - it's hot!) we've seen so far. In the future, if the power level continues to increase (or the bike becomes heavier because it needs more battery), I will need to separate the cooling circuits between the motor and inverter as we did on the Brammo prototypes that raced at Isle of Man and Pikes Peak. The motor can run much hotter than the inverter can.
The limitations in gearing with a direct drive system (i.e. needing to chose low-end torque and acceleration vs. high-end top speed) can be mitigated with running higher DC bus voltages for a broad range of rpm to work with, selecting windings based on where you believe the ideal peak power point is needed, and by having expanded overall drive ratio options through an intermediate gear reduction as well as the final drive sprockets. We do tend to give up top speed at faster tracks, but this is also done willingly because we CAN exploit the strengths of an electric drivetrain and gear for excellent acceleration. At most tracks here on the West Coast, acceleration is the key to the fastest lap times. Some of the faster, more flowing tracks of Europe may require a different strategy.
An open class would only help if there were teams willing to participate. The money required to run even an amateur level racing effort is staggering for the average working stiff (ask me how I know...
). I believe that with enough money and the right people, you could build an electric superbike to compete over a club racing distance with the best production based Superbikes. But that effort would be prohibitively expensive for most. The only way EV racing is going to displace gas motorcycle racing is if there's a consistent series to race in that provides a compelling enough package to get teams and sponsors on board. This is no simple task and as viewers move away from broadcast television to watch events like racing, the business model for a series or event promoter becomes even more difficult. It seems like the motorcycle industry trails the automotive industry in this regard. Even in MotoGP, the technologies are far less advanced than those being used in Formula 1 and LeMans with advanced energy recovery systems, turbos, moveable aerodynamics, and alternative fuels. I would love to see the motorcycle industry adopt a similar passion for advancing technology, but it seems like those golden years of public and commercial interest have passed and now it is up to those who continue to toil away in garages on nights and weekends to make forward progress.
To provide a glimpse of where Lightfighter is going - I'd like to see our battery capacity increase without compromising weight. I believe this will be possible within the next 12-18 months. I'd also like to extract a bit more power while simultaneously reducing the overall weight of the bike. Power:Weight has been the name of the game all along. Once we can be fully competitive with race-prepped Supersports, maybe we'll set our sights on those 200+hp Superbikes. Of course, they'll all have 250hp by then though...
