xcel
05-31-2007, 10:54 AM
0 - 60 in 3 seconds, 100 mph top speed and just $0.80 to drive 80 miles at 65 mph. (http://www.latimes.com/classified/automotive/highway1/la-hy-throttleside30may30,0,4717776.story?coll=la-class-autos-highway1)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Lightning_Motors_Lithium_Powered_Superbike.jpgSusan Carpenter - LA Times - May 30, 2007
Lithium Lightning: Total cost unknown. Photo: Don Kelsen - LAT.
I'D been riding for years before I learned motorcycles' dirty little secret. Mile per mile, some bikes actually spew more gunk into the air than cars, pickup trucks or SUVs, even if they do use less gas. It was a sickening realization, since I'd spent so much time believing the opposite was true.
That's why the prospect of a performance-oriented electric bike is so appealing.
Of course, an electric motorcycle isn't the same as a zero-emissions motorcycle. An electric bike's environmental friendliness depends, for the most part, on where it's plugged in: What's the energy source that's powering the outlet?
Most of the electricity in this country is supplied by coal-fueled plants, so if you're plugging an electric bike into your outlet, you could say your bike is basically coal-powered. It's using less energy, and therefore polluting less than a gas-powered bike, but it's still using a fossil fuel and it isn't zero-emission.
The idea behind the Lightning Motors is to make a bike that's electric and zero-emission, courtesy of solar power … http://www.latimes.com/classified/automotive/highway1/la-hy-throttleside30may30,0,4717776.story?coll=la-class-autos-highway1
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Lightning_Motors_Lithium_Powered_Superbike.jpgSusan Carpenter - LA Times - May 30, 2007
Lithium Lightning: Total cost unknown. Photo: Don Kelsen - LAT.
I'D been riding for years before I learned motorcycles' dirty little secret. Mile per mile, some bikes actually spew more gunk into the air than cars, pickup trucks or SUVs, even if they do use less gas. It was a sickening realization, since I'd spent so much time believing the opposite was true.
That's why the prospect of a performance-oriented electric bike is so appealing.
Of course, an electric motorcycle isn't the same as a zero-emissions motorcycle. An electric bike's environmental friendliness depends, for the most part, on where it's plugged in: What's the energy source that's powering the outlet?
Most of the electricity in this country is supplied by coal-fueled plants, so if you're plugging an electric bike into your outlet, you could say your bike is basically coal-powered. It's using less energy, and therefore polluting less than a gas-powered bike, but it's still using a fossil fuel and it isn't zero-emission.
The idea behind the Lightning Motors is to make a bike that's electric and zero-emission, courtesy of solar power … http://www.latimes.com/classified/automotive/highway1/la-hy-throttleside30may30,0,4717776.story?coll=la-class-autos-highway1