Electric Motorbike Does 0 to 60 in Under One Second!
While riding an electric motorcycle powered by cordless-drill batteries, Scotty Pollacheck made drag racing history for the second time. He went from 0 to 60 mph in less than a second!
The KillaCycle® — originally designed and built in 1999 –uses a series of more than 1,200 batteries to power two motors which crank out 500 bhp. The bike can reach a jaw dropping 168 mph.
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All this gives the driver a G-force three times more than that faced by a skydiver during freefall!
“The powerful nano-phosphate battery cells are what makes the the bike go as fast as it does,” said racing team owner Bill Dube. He added, “If you think about it, the KillaCycle is just a giant cordless drill with wheels.”
So it is not suprising the KillaCycle has won the title of the world’s fastest battery powered vehicle. Those looking to disagree should know the bike cleared a quarter mile track in under eight seconds.
Dube says the secret of the bike’s speed is the battery cells, which are made by A123 Systems. These NanoPosphate batteries are game changer for electric vehicles.
The bike can be fully charged in four minutes and is charged by wind-powered generators. Nice! On a full charge the bike can seven runs down a quarter of a mile drag track.
“The KillaCycle is the result of years of effort. It was the first electric vehicle to break the eight seconds barrier in drag racing in November 2007,” says Dube and that “it was the first electric powered vehicle of any kind to go over 150 mph in a quarter of a mile in August 2000.”
Dube said the team is now working on a version of the KillaCycle which will be capable of producing an incredible 1,000 bhp.
Source [Daily Mail] Photos [KillaCycle.com]
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April 27th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
Is this the same bike that almost killed this guy? Allow me to demonstrate one of the world’s fastest motorcycles … on a narrow sidewalk without a helmet …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9o15EALghp0
April 27th, 2009 at 7:38 pm
That is amazing- I love things with names like, “NanoPhosphate” that do incredible things that I don’t understand.
This is definitely a game-changer. In debates with friends I often hear that electric/ battery powered vehicles are great for low speeds and short distances but can’t work on the large scale yet because they don’t have the power or the distance.
This article and last week’s Hummer piece http://gas2.org/2009/04/21/hummer-h3-plugin-hybrid-gets-100-mpg-kicks-prius-butt/
show that is changing. Love it.
April 27th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
The durn thing doesn’t make any noise. They should put some grooves in those tires so something makes a noise. Maybe they should amplify the motor sound. Otherwise it just reminds me of my old slot car racers.
April 27th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
But, will it blend?
April 27th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
popurls.com // popular today…
story has entered the popular today section on popurls.com…
April 27th, 2009 at 8:43 pm
Stupid question… 3-4x skydiver G forces is that.. 3-4Gs. They can’t exactly fall faster than gravity unaided
April 27th, 2009 at 8:44 pm
“…gives the driver a G-force three times more than that faced by a skydiver during freefall!”
A skydiver experiences 1G (9.8m/s^2) during freefall because that is the only force that is accelerating him towards Earth’s surface. You are asserting that the driver experiences 3Gs… which seems a little low.
April 27th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
All this gives the driver a G-force three times more than that faced by a skydiver during freefall!
Neat way to say 3 Gs
April 27th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
“All this gives the driver a G-force three times more than that faced by a skydiver during freefall!”
Until the skydiver reaches terminal velocity, the G-forces they experience are zero. After terminal velocity it’s 1G. So… the driver experiences 0G or three times more than the guy filming.
April 27th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
“All this gives the driver a G-force three times more than that faced by a skydiver during freefall!”
Wow someone doesn’t understand that the G-force in a free fall is the exact same as if you were standing still. Please write to a little more educated audience.
April 27th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
Lol Flamed in 60 seconds.
April 27th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
The G-force faced by a skydiver during freefall is the same as the force you and I face on the ground.
April 27th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
“All this gives the driver a G-force three times more than that faced by a skydiver during freefall!”
Umm… a skydiver faces 0 G-forces during freefall, as they are at a constant velocity.
April 27th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
“All this gives the driver a G-force three times more than that faced by a skydiver during freefall!”
Farting will subject you to more than three times the G-force experienced in freefall, since the definition of freefall sort of includes the lack of any G-force at all.
April 27th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
Great story GREAT bike
one nit
“All this gives the driver a G-force three times more than that faced by a skydiver during freefall!”
3 times 0 is 0
Freefall is by definition ZERO G (effectively) in reality its still actually 1g
you should have just said 3g’s but I would think 0-60 in under a second would be a heck of a lot more than 3g’s! Would love for someone to do the math on that.
I tried to figure it out but I am doing something wrong because I came up with 164g’s
60 mph over 1 seconds is 1609 meters/second gravity is 9.8m/s 9.8 into 1609 is 164g’s but that seems too high I don’t think he could hang on at 164g’s
April 27th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
Old news. This happened back in Oct 2008
April 27th, 2009 at 10:30 pm
and we can buy these when?
April 27th, 2009 at 11:28 pm
3 times the g forces experienced by a sky diver in freefall. So um 3G’s. I guess it sounds better than 3 times the force experienced by my dog jumping off the couch.
April 28th, 2009 at 12:26 am
Uhm… the G-force experienced by a skydiver during freefall is actually zero. Three times zero is still zero, and I’m guessing from the video that the rider experiences a bit more than that :]
April 28th, 2009 at 1:15 am
Wouldn’t a diver under freefall experience zero G?
April 28th, 2009 at 1:55 am
During free fall, an object experiences zero G’s. Therefore, every motorcycle “gives the driver a G-force [not equal to] three times more than that faced by a skydiver during freefall!”
Correct answer: …”gives the drives a G-force an infinite times more than that faced by a skydiver during a freefall!”
April 28th, 2009 at 6:30 am
“All this gives the driver a G-force three times more than that faced by a skydiver during freefall!”
so 3g then….
April 28th, 2009 at 7:31 am
“All this gives the driver a G-force three times more than that faced by a skydiver during freefall!”
I thought that when you freefall you do not experience extra g-forces? Isn’t g-force when you accelerate? Then the comparison to freefall skydivers is not so smart!
Appart from that rookie reported mistake,cool performance!!
April 28th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
“All this gives the driver a G-force three times more than that faced by a skydiver during freefall!”
Skydiver during freefall experiences 1 G.
April 30th, 2009 at 12:09 am
What’s that smog?
April 30th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
Isn’t the 0-60 time: zero to the 60 foot line after the starting line? And not 0 to 60 mph as stated in the story? The Killacycle website does not state a 0 to 60 mph time in under one second …
I don’t think the usual drag racing set up measures zero to 60 mph times …?
Chris Taylor’s comment of 164 Gs to for an under one second 0-60 mph time sounds right … I think it would probably kill you …
April 30th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
We cover the first 60 ft in 1.14 seconds. We reach 60 MPH at 42 ft. The 0 to 60 MPH time is 0.955 seconds. We claim zero to 60 MPH in “less than one second” just to be conservative. The average acceleration during the launch is 2.86 g’s.
I should note that while this is a respectable feat on the drag strip, the very best drag racers do considerably better. 0.840 second 60 foot times are achieved by the very best top fuel dragsters. This equates to zero to 60 mph in about 0.5 seconds. No joke. Five g’s of acceleration off the line!
Our weight distribution is a bit off on the present KillaCycle, so that is what is limiting our 60 ft times at the moment. We are about to change over to a more powerful, but considerably lighter weight battery pack (new technology from A123Systems) so this will move the CG rearward and should improve the weight transfer off the line. In theory, we will turn better 1/4 miles times too.
A skydiver (or a dog jumping off the couch) experiences 1 G of _acceleration_ just as he begins his fall (and is in “free fall.”) The _force_ on his body is also 1 G. As he speeds up to terminal velocity, the drag of the air balances the force of gravity on his body. He no longer accelerates, but he still is acted on by 1 G of gravity.
April 30th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
Well, I was wrong, the story does mean 0 to 60 mph … here is what Bill Dube, the bike owner has to say:
“We cover 60 ft in 1.14 seconds. We reach 60 MPH at 42 ft. The 0 to 60 MPH time is 0.955 seconds. We claim zero to 60 MPH in “less than one second” just to be conservative.
“I should note that while this is a respectable feat on the drag strip, the very best drag racers do considerably better. 0.840 second 60 foot times are achieved by the very best top fuel dragsters. This equates to zero to 60 mph in about 0.5 seconds. No joke. Five g’s of acceleration off the line!”
Enjoyed the story, and have learned something about speed vs. distance …
May 2nd, 2009 at 12:50 am
What makes it on the track, makes it to the market (maybe not at those velocities, but still…). This rules. One thing though, and this is to the author:
“All this gives the driver a G-force three times more than that faced by a skydiver during freefall!”
freefall starts at zero G and increased toward 1 G as terminal velocity is reached…same as the rest of us…so, uh, the bike gives the rider 3 G? I hope it’s not zero G, cause if it is, check your math.
May 3rd, 2009 at 7:17 pm
Wow.
May 5th, 2009 at 3:49 am
60 MPH is 88 feet per second.
1 G acceleration is 32.2 ft/sec at earth sea level.
Do the math. It is 2.733 G average acceleration for one second.
May 6th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
Would be cool without the helpwheels at the rear
May 17th, 2009 at 1:09 am
Nice. Reminds me on Superman the Ride at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
August 13th, 2009 at 4:21 am
Who’s the moron that posted this? They are illiterate and didn’t even bother to proofread. That’s pretty much how all sites are these days. It’s sad.
October 13th, 2009 at 2:54 am
Making changes is tricky for a company with Harley’s cult following: They risk alienating current customers. The V-Rod’s water-cooled engine is a big departure from Harley’s traditional air-cooled one, and to some uneasy riders a portent of additional unwelcome changes to come. “If they ever do anything with that [roaring] sound, they’ve lost their customer base,” says B.K. Ellis.
December 13th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
1000 bhp on batteries… well, I just came a little.