There was quiet and calm in several of the workshops at this year's Isle of Man TT, the annual motor-cycle racing extravaganza which attracts riders from around the world.
The scene in these garages was familiar – teams of engineers and technicians poring over powerful motorcycles. But there was no throaty roars from petrol engines, because this time around the bikes were all electric.
Yes, that's right. Electric bikes. It takes a bit of getting used to. But it's a clear indication that cleaner and greener motorcycles are the way forward, even at testosterone-fuelled events such as the Isle of Man TT.
There are no gears and not much noise, but the top riders agree that electric bikes can be a lot of fun. Motorbike racer and TV personality Guy Martin reached a speed of 104mph on his zero-emission bike, before dismounting and unequivocally stating “it's fast!”.
The Isle of Man TT is a time-trial format event with riders on bikes in different classes – such as Superbike, Lightweight and Sidecar, competing to achieve the fastest lap of the famous 37.73 mile long Snaefell Mountain Course.
The TT Zero class for “motorcycles powered without the use of carbon based fuels” was launched in 2010 and the class has grown each year. The bikes are mainly powered by lithium ion batteries. Lots of them.
Zero to hero
Seven teams entered TT Zero this year. The best know and best-funded team entering was Mugen Motorsports, which has close links with the Honda group of companies. Mugen had produced a mostly carbon-fibre framed superbike, stacked full of battery cells rated at 370 volts.
The Mugen bike being worked on in the garage
Colin Whittamore, general manager of Mugen, was in charge of getting the bike ready for its circuit lap. “We've gone for mainly carbon-fibre for light-weighting, and we've filled it batteries,” he said. “There's no gears so the drivers have to get used to a very smooth ride.
“It's so different from a petrol-powered bike. The bike doesn't get lighter as it goes round, so the handling stays the same. Riders can tuck themselves in and let the bike go. They love riding it.”
Victory's bike featured structural batteries
In the workshop next door was US team Victory Motorcycles, another well-known name taking the TT Zero very seriously indeed. It's bike looked a lot sleeker than Mugen's, with 355 volt lithium ion battery cells more integrated into the aluminium frame. Indeed, the two battery modules performed a structural function.
Brian Wisemann, the lead engineer on Victory's TT Zero effort, said the competition was a chance to test out technologies that would one day make it into production. “We're a bike firm. We always have an eye on production. Electric bikes are a commercial market that is coming. And we want to be ready for it,” he said.
The challenge, for him, was packaging the batteries in the most effective manner. “Electric bikes carry a lot of weight. So balancing the mass between the front and rear suspension can be quite difficult on these bikes,” he said.
The Sarolea team's bike features technology that will go mainstream
The Belgian racing team Sarolea also had a presence at TT Zero. Torsten Robbens, its principal engineer, said electric bikes represented a steep learning curve. “There are no wind tunnel tests on these motorcycles. We build them as we feel them. Our bike doesn't have the biggest battery pack, but it does have the most effective air cooled motor, and we have made that ourselves.
“Next year we will start making more of our own parts – such as the converter. Ultimately we want to start making these electric bikes in low volume, so that we can lease to others. That's our plan, and TT Zero is a testing ground.”
The growth of the TT Zero class, and the serious engineering going into these bikes, seems set to accelerate the electrification of motorcycles.
TT Zero Electric bike lap results:
1st John McGuinness Mugen Lap time: 18 minutes 58 seconds Top speed: 119.279mph
2nd Bruce Anstey Mugen Lap time: 19 minutes 02 seconds Top speed: 118.857mph
3rd Lee Johnston Victory/Parker Racing Lap time: 20 minutes 16 seconds Top speed: 111.620mph
4th Guy Martin Victory/Parker Racing Lap time: 20 minutes 37 seconds Top speed: 109.717mph
5th Rob Wilson Sarolea Racing Lap time: 21 minutes 15 seconds Top speed: 106.510mph
6th Michael Sweeney University of Nottingham Lap time: 30 minutes 56 seconds Top speed: 73.156mph
Non-finishers: Kingston University, Brunel University