You have to look twice. Or three times. And it is still thought of as an optical illusion. Where is the driver sitting there? Isn’t there just a hole, a nothing? But then you see other perspectives and begin to understand. At least the look. You have to believe the background first: In the future this will probably be one of the fastest electric motorcycles in the world!
WMC250EV is the name of the tunnel on wheels, devised, designed and built by White Motorcycle Concepts. More precisely, the design comes from Rob White, head of the engine department of the Renault Formula 1 team.
The projectile is all-wheel drive, the goal is to achieve a top speed of 402 km / h. There is still a long way to go until then. The first test drives were recently completed at the Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground in Great Britain, but not yet with full drive power. The four electric motors currently have a total output of 100 kilowatts, i.e. 136 hp.
Two of them – each with 20 kW – are on the front wheel, two more in the swing arm. The record bike should produce a total of 250 kW / 340 PS, then with 800 instead of 60 volts. The range is limited by the battery with a capacity of 15 kilowatt hours, which, however, also recuperates energy.
The highlight of the WMC250EV is the sophisticated aerodynamics of the carbon body in the wind tunnel. Allegedly, the motorcycle is 70 percent more streamlined than others that have been optimized in this regard. The manufacturer specifies the drag coefficient as 0.118. The construction not only ensures low air resistance, but also high stability and more pressure on the front wheel while driving.
Another special technical feature is the stub axle steering. The total length is 2.44 meters, the height is only 1.19 meters. Braking is done with a 340 mm double disc at the front and a 310 mm single disc at the rear. Pirelli Superbike slicks (120/70 front, 180/55 rear) are mounted on the 17-inch Dymag aluminum rims. The total weight is around 300 kg.
The record for partially faired electric motorcycles is 394.45 km / h, set by Max Biaggi on Voxan. He is said to fall on a salt lake in Bolivia – by Rob White himself.