Can wind-powered Ion Horse charge to break TT record?
A renewable energy company has developed a new motorbike to compete in the Isle of Man’s Zero TT. The bike could herald the winds of change to clean transport.
The Ion Horse, a new wind-charged electric motorbike, aims to win £10,000 at the Isle of Man’s historic TT race on Wednesday.
The International Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) Race launched a Clean Emissions Motorcycle Race three years ago as part of its international festival, called TT Zero.
The first electric bike to complete a lap at an average speed of 100mph will receive a £10,000 prize from the Isle of Man Government. Nobody has won this since the race began in 2009.
In last year’s TT Zero, Mark Miller came close with the Moto Czysz team, averaging a speed around the track of 96.82mph.
The Ion Horse, developed by a team at Kingston University London (KUL) and funded by the green-energy company Ecotricity, hopes to break the record this year.
The bike can go from 0 - 60mph in three seconds and has a top speed of 140mph, all powered by energy from Ecotricity’s fleet of 52 wind turbines in Britain.
A five hour charge up from the wind turbines allows the bike to race for around 40 miles and it can go for 120 miles when confined to legal speed limits.
George Spence, Ion Horse’s rider, will hope that there is more in the lithium polymer cobalt cell, after the bike averaged 80.4mph around the track in qualifying on Monday (June 6). Spence came fifth in 2010 on a bike also created by KUL.
The race starts and ends at the Isle of Man’s capital, Douglas. The track rises and falls in altitude and winds around over 200 bends and corners with each lap just under 38 miles.
The bike is the latest non-petrolhead invention from entrepreneur and Ecotricity founder Dale Vince. Last October (2010), Mr Vince unleashed a wind-powered sports car that would impress even Jeremy Clarkson. The Nemesis has a none-too sluggish top speed of 170mph and can do 0 - 100mph in 8.5 seconds.
Dale Vince said: “The guys at Kingston have built an amazing machine and we expect it to take the TT by storm. It's another great demonstration of how transport of the very near future will be – powered by renewable energy, made in Green Britain – and with zero pollution.”
Ion Horse team manager Paul Brandon said: “The Ion Horse is the culmination of years of cutting-edge technology coming together for one purpose – to take the TT’s 100mph lap record. But it’s also a design showcase for what electric bikes could be like.”
The Isle of Man is hoping the TT Zero will be a good advertisement for its growing clean-tech sector. The Island currently has over 40 clean-tech companies with a collective valuation of over £800 million (from 2009).
Allan Bell MHK, Minister, Department of Economic Development, said: “Running the electric bike race as part of the TT Races has given us an excellent platform to demonstrate the Isle of Man’s clean tech capabilities.
“This event continues to offer best in practice development and puts the Island at the heart of innovative design and groundbreaking technology.”
Image: Ecotricity - The Ion Horse
