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New World Record for All-Electric Vehicle Trans-Continental Crossings

Moto Electra Racing set the new world record for trans-continental crossing using an electric motorcycle. Aboard the Norton-inspired Moto Electra Racing machinery, Thad Wolff needed 84.5 hours (3 and a half days) to cross the south of the US from Florida to California.
Thad Wolff and his Moto Electra Racing 3 photos
Photo: Moto Electra Racing
Thad Wolff and his Moto Electra RacingThad and the team
Wolff thus won the competition with Terry Hershner and his Vetterized Zero machine, the first rider to attempt long-distance touring on electric motorcycles in late 2012.

Moto Electra Racing and Hershner took different approaches to this cross-country endeavor. While Hershner relied on the existing charging stations and pretty much any other sources of power at hand, the James Madison University crew behind Moto Electra Racing towed a generator behind its chase vehicle, for power available at any given time.

Hershner was also not lucky enough and lost a lot of time in the Los Angeles traffic, being halted because of highway accidents and in the end even with a broken motor due to a cooling fan malfunction.

Zero were very fast in shipping a new motor overnight and Hershner replaced the faulty unit and could ride on. With all the troubles he went through, Hershner needed around 6 days to cover the distance between the Santa Monica and Jacksonville, with the last part of his journey in torrential rain.

So far we reckon that the two teams and riders are getting their much-needed sleep and recovery time, while planning is sure to start soon, as we see true potential for such trans-continental races. Moto Electra Racing and Terry Hershner only proved that long-distance touring aboard an electric motorcycle is possible, with new opportunities still to be discovered.

We salute both Thad and Terry for their pioneer guts and we can only hope their followers will soon start making the front pages.
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