This Swiss-made Electric Bike Has An Insane 400km Range!

Electric vehicles had one Achilles’ heel: range. However, with Tesla in the forefront, it seems that driving (and now, riding) range is no longer a limitation. A team comprising of 13 mechanical and 1 electrical engineering student from ETH Zurich and 2 industrial design students from the Zurich University of the Arts came up with an indigenously developed electric motorcycle. Sometimes, it feels like the perfect motorcycle behaves more like an extension of one’s body. Taking design cues from the human body, the team has shaped this motorcycle, with a forward-biased visual mass.

As per its makers, the lightweight tubular frame rides on trapezoidal girder forks up front which offers optimum stability and geometry optimisation. The rear employs twin shock absorbers mounted on the double-sided swingarm. There is a hub motor in each wheel, which is capable of supplying 22kW of continuous power up to 50kW of peak power.

The huge battery consists of 1260 lithium ion cells arranged in an arrayed fashion. Each cell is cooled by their proprietary air and oil circuit coolers with peltier elements. A battery management system oversees the healthy functioning of the cells, their cooling as well as their charging and discharging. The 15kWh lithium ion battery gets an insane 400km range. Additionally, its lifespan is preserved with the active and passive oil cooling and continuous health management of the cells.

There’s also an integrated inductive sensor that determines the angle of braking lever. This angle is used for a gradually increasing recuperation on both wheels. Should this braking force tracing back to the recuperation not be enough, the system automatically kicks in the disc brakes for extra stopping power. The motorcycle even gets a button-start with keyless ignition and a seven-inch touch screen with integrated navigation system.

With such an incredible range and well-thought thermal and battery management system, the Ethec electric motorcycle is an interesting example of eco-friendly ingeniousness wrapped in a uniquely designed package. It would be interesting to see manufacturers bringing out motorcycles with similar tech which pushes them to be as close as their petrol powered counterparts.