Killacycle breaks electric quarter mile drag world record

Rider Scott Pollacheck on the Killacycle at Bandimere Speedway

The National Electric Drag Racing Association (NEDRA) hosted the High Altitude Nationals event at Bandimere Speedway today.  Attending was Bill Dubé and his team, Colorado engineering masterminds behind the Killacycle.  The all electric motorcycle sets the standard for electric vehicle (EV) extreme performance, having held the quarter mile top speed world record since 2000 and the quarter mile time world record since last fall.  This makes the Killacycle the fastest EV in the world - bike, car or otherwise.

This weekend rider Scotty Pollacheck bested that quarter mile time record by just under a tenth of a second, running the strip in 7.864 seconds with a top speed of 169 mph.  Denver’s high altitude is an advantage for EV racers since the missing oxygen only impacts combustion engines, plus the thin air means less wind resistance down the strip.  According to Dubé, the Bandimere track is second to none both because of the pavement cooling system and the top notch staff who know how to properly prep the surface so these powerful machines get good tire grip when the lights go green.

World records aside, prepare to be in awe over these Killacycle stats: 0 to 60 mph in under 1 second, 700 ft lbs of torque, over 500 hp and of course a quarter mile time under 8 seconds.  One run consumes the equivalent of just 2 ounces of gasoline.  A full throttle launch is like “sticking a rocket up your butt and lighting it” Dubé says with a grin, “and the secret is the batteries”.  The bike uses special race batteries - 1,210 to be exact -  manufactured by A123Systems to power two DC motors.  Remarkably the small batteries charge in just 4 minutes and last for as many as 10 runs including burn-outs.  There is no transmission per se, but the rider does hit a switch to go from running the motors in series for maximum power (amperage) at launch to running in parallel for maximum top speed (voltage).

When asked if riding a monster EV bike is any different than his usual nitrous Suzuki or turbo charged Harley race bikes, pro rider Pollacheck noted that “only the weight” was an issue.  Performance wise the Killacycle is similar to a Pro Stock bike weighing in around 470 lbs, while the Killacycle hits the scales at 653 lbs - almost 40% heavier.  In the event that the bike’s trajectory needs adjusting the rider has to heft it around a bit, which is no small task on a machine with this kind of acceleration. This is part of the reason the lean Pollacheck was drafted as the team rider - he has both an outstanding racing resume but is also just 130 pounds light.  Future enhancements - particularly a new lighter weight battery technology - promise to both reduce the weight and keep the records coming.

Dubé remarked that his entire record setting operation is possible on a very grassroots sized budget - plus the gracious assistance of sponsors like A123Systems, RidersDiscount.com and others - but that even grander displays of electric dominance are there for the taking for a well funded team.  He notes that a Top Fuel team operates with a minimum $250K seasonal budget, and that the same quarter million dollars could easily build an electric dragster that would beat the current Top Fuel quarter mile record.  “The power to weight is there,” he says, “you just need to pay someone to build a controller that can handle the power,” which he believes to be eminently doable.

You can follow Bill Dubé and his Killacycle exploits at www.killacycle.com and learn more about EV racing at www.NEDRA.com.