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White Motorcycle Concepts Set to Bust World Land Speed for EV Bikes in 2022

British engineering company White Motorcycle Concepts is on a quest to clear out the books when it comes to world land speed records. The plan is to finish the development of what they say is a ‘revolutionary’ electric-powered motorcycle and then take it to Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni salt flat next summer.
WMC250EV 23 photos
Photo: White Motorcycle Concepts
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White says they’ve completed the initial trials of their ground-breaking WMC250EV high-speed demonstrator, and the company is now ready to move forward with high-speed trials as they ramp up the development of the machine.

And the rider responsible for piloting the bike, company founder and CEO Rob White, says the carbon-fiber prototype has completed a series of faultless shakedown runs at Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground. According to White, it’s time for a full system program as the next phase of its multi-stage testing schedule. This part of the project will include runs at high speed.

Built specifically for White, this bike comes from his experiences in Formula One, Le Mans Prototype, V8 supercar, and World Endurance Championship race teams. White’s silhouette was laser-scanned in order to tailor the bike's bodywork to his exact profile. The technology will now take on an attempt at the British electric semi-streamlined motorcycle record later in 2021 and then make an attempt at the world record in 2022.

The current record is held by former Moto GP world champion Max Biaggi who rode a Voxan Wattman to a top speed of 254 mph across the required two runs (in opposite directions) over a flying mile. That pair of runs ultimately averaged out to 228 mph.

WMC250EV electric motorcycle
Photo: White Motorcycle Concepts
White said he hopes the WMC250EV will end up beating Voxan Wattman record by a considerable margin. According to White, it features a tunnel that runs from the front to the back of the machine and this design results in making it the most "aerodynamically efficient motorcycle in the world." The system works by forcing air through the middle of the bike instead of around it, and the concept has also been tested at the Horiba MIRA facility in the UK.

The WMC250EV is capable of reaching speeds of more than 250mph due in large part to features the company calls ‘market-disruptive technologies,’ and those include WMC’s ultra-low drag system V-Air. The system uses a large duct at the center of the bike which forces air through the vehicle to reduce aerodynamic resistance by up to 70% - and that aerodynamic slipperiness is huge when compared to a conventional motorcycle.

Powered by a D-Drive motor unit that powers the front wheel, the system makes it possible to harness regenerative braking energy, and in the final powertrain configuration, the WMC250EV will feature an 800v high voltage system. The early testing model uses a low voltage (60v) system to produce 100kw of power. White says the world land speed spec for the bike will be two and a half times more powerful.

One key factor during the initial test phase of this process-driven program was to successfully correlate the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) data gathered for the 300kg vehicle with the results of real-world testing. The testing phase will include a British record attempt early in 2022.

WMC250EV electric motorcycle
Photo: White Motorcycle Concepts
The Northampton-based company is also eyeing road-going projects, and its patented technologies are already being incorporated into street-friendly versions.

“We were encouraged by the great reception the launch of the bike received in June, and the high level of interest that the project has gained subsequently. This is a completely bespoke motorcycle, so for it to run cleanly straight out of the box is fantastic,” White says. “We are taking a measured and controlled approach to our testing program to ensure no stone is left unturned - and given the results we have gained to date - my confidence is building all the time that we will be successful.”
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