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Jim Corning's electric motorcycle, PrometheusSolar
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Jim Corning's PrometheusSolar electric motorcycle.
When Jim was at the AltCar Expo 2008 in Los Angeles, he intrigued many with a converted electric Kawasaki motorcycle. This year, he continued with a grounds up motorcycle concept. Here is an interview with Jim and his company, PrometheusSolar.
The gist is Jim was originally thinking of an electric car but decided a motorcycle would yield better results within a reasonable budget. With less weight, batteries and components, it meant less expense in testing products. Finally, the battery-controller-motor combination was easier to chose from for a motorcycle in in order to achieve the level of responsiveness and performance balance he was aiming for.
How To Build An Electric Motorcycle. Jim wanted to build a competent electric motorcycle. Over the years, he developed an intuitive sense of what works and what does not. He chose lithium batteries with a 3 phase AC motor on his original test bed, an electrified Ninja motorcycle. Jim was aiming for enough performance to satisfy freeway speed and acceleration. After 4 extensive overhaul, tear apart, redesign and a final rebuild, the motorcycle is taking shape.
The New Design. Jim said he got tired of fitting batteries and electrical components into spaces that were never designed for it. With his MIT mechanical engineer degree he decided to design an electric motorcycle from the ground up was the only way to go. Now he could design the frame specifically for the electric drive. The CAD design took about 4 months, with the welding and machining starting last Spring. And this bike is well thought from the get go. It will be one of the first motorcycles where the entire layout of the structure and suspension will be completely optimized as an EV.
Technically Speaking. Using an Azure Dynamics motor, originally designed for a car will give the motorcycle enough performance. The James Parker style double control arm front suspension caught our attention. By keeping the primary structure and suspension small and low, there is enough room for batteries and electronics. The overall weight should be around 525 lbs.. The result will be a full-sized motorcycle with typical liter-bike weight ratio, a top speed around 100MPH, and a range of 100 miles on a charge.
What About The Future? Jim sees an electric motorcycle industry developing and is working hard to be an integral part of it. With his manufacturing company in Flagstaff, Arizona, U.S., they can begin hand-building them by 2010. The plan is simple, as they build customized limited editions, they will also work on DOT certification and attract investors for larger scale production.
Next we will look at Jim’s alternative energy solution for his EV bike.
For more info: PrometheusSolar, Electricnick.
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