OSU’s Buckeye Electric Motorcycle sets ECTA electric motorcycle speed record

The Buckeye Electric Motorcycle Race Team set an East Coast Timing Association (ECTA) speed record for electric motorcycles, July 8, 2012.  The record speed was 144.352mph at the East Coast Timing Association Ohio Mile Track located in Wilmington, Ohio.  The team is claiming to now hold the title of fastest collegiate electric motorcycle, but I believe that should be contextualized by saying “within the East Coast Timing Association”.  I believe there are collegiate electric motorcycle teams which have set faster times at Bonneville salt flat events.

This beat the teams 2011 record of 112.349mph by 30 miles/hr.  The new record is in the “Altered Electric A3” class.

The increase was due primarily to having borrowed a FlightPower lithium cobalt oxide battery pack from Lawless Industries.  Shawn Lawless is an electric drag race vehicle builder and racer, and has been supporting this team for a couple years.

Asst. Prof. Marcello Canova, faculty advisor, “The latest ECTA speed record is a fantastic achievement for the team, and an important learning experience for the design of the new electric race motorcycle. Most of all, it shows the skills, ingenuity, and resilience of this student group, able to build an electric bike from ground up in less than two years and achieve two speed records.”

The teams goals are now moving to: a) build a new bike that can go faster than 150 miles/hr (a feat few electric motorcycles have done), and b) race in the Isle of Man TT ZERO race.

About David Herron

David Herron is a writer and software engineer living in Silicon Valley. He primarily writes about electric vehicles, clean energy systems, climate change, peak oil and related issues. When not writing he indulges in software projects and is sometimes employed as a software engineer. David has written for sites like PlugInCars and TorqueNews, and worked for companies like Sun Microsystems and Yahoo.

About David Herron

David Herron is a writer and software engineer living in Silicon Valley. He primarily writes about electric vehicles, clean energy systems, climate change, peak oil and related issues. When not writing he indulges in software projects and is sometimes employed as a software engineer. David has written for sites like PlugInCars and TorqueNews, and worked for companies like Sun Microsystems and Yahoo.

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