Mission Motor's One electric sportsbike captured many hearts and headlines thanks to its futuristic look, crazy quickness, and its alt-fuel, all-electric drive train. Now they have a new vehicle on the stand, the "R" superbike--a factory electric race bike that is, if anything, even more impressive.
The bike has 14.4 kWh of power stored in its batteries, delivered through a 141 horsepower engine--in a "package smaller than a modern 600cc sportbike," according to the company. The motor is liquid-cooled to keep it efficient, and is a 3-phase AC induction unit pushing out 115 foot-pounds of torque from zero revs up to 6,400--something no gasoline engine can do (the latest Honda Fireblade only delivers 83 foot-pounds at 8,500 rpm). So what does all this mean for the average adrenaline junkie? It means that the R can sprint from zero to 160 miles an hour in a single gear. That's a lot of fast.
Designing a machine that has such radically different DNA to a traditional motorbike required some different thinking, because the bulk and weight distribution of the components are unlike the engine block, gearing and gas tank that's normally the basis of the bike's design--the chassis of the R has an "entirely new design for integrating and balancing the weight and volume" of a "large EV battery pack" while still maintaining the aerodynamic qualities needed, the rideability needed for a race machine, and the center of mass to make racing successful. We'll find out how successful Mission is when the R touches track early next year and later competes in the TTXGP competition, a zero carbon Grand Prix.
Meantime, we can imagine Mission's example bringing fresh thinking to the electric car business--because a motorbike is an engine on wheels, the R's unusual design may inspire car makers to think differently, since the EVs they're churning out at the moment are, to some, disappointingly conventional.
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