White Motorcycle Concepts, the British company aiming to set a number of new world land speed records with its electric-powered motorcycle at Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni salt flat next summer, says it has successfully completed the initial trials of the WMC250EV high-speed demonstrator.
Ridden by company founder and CEO Rob White, the prototype apparently ran without fault during its shakedown test at Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground and has also completed a comprehensive full system pass off. The team says that it will now move on to the next phase of its multi-stage testing schedule, which will include runs at higher speed.
The WMC250EV, which it is hoped will reach speeds of more than 250mph in final trim, features the company’s ultra-low drag system, V-Air, which uses a large duct at the centre of the bike and is said to reduce drag by 70% compared to a conventional motorcycle. A key element of the initial development phase was to successfully correlate CFD with real-world data.
The bike features a twin-motor powertrain, driving both wheels, which in its final configuration will operate on an 800V high-voltage system with an output of around 250kW, but for the early testing phase it is using a low-voltage (60V) system that produces 100kW.
“We are delighted with the progress made so far with the WMC250EV,” said White. “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.
“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.”
WMC says it will continue testing through the rest of 2021, before embarking on its world land speed record build-up program early next year.
