KillaCycle - World’s quickest Electric bike while running A123System's M1 Cel's.

[xcel]

Quarter completed in 8.168 @ 155.78 MPH -> Getting close to the magic 7’s.

Bill Dube - KillaCycle - April 4, 2007

We learn something new with every race. We made a bunch of spot-on modifications recently that made a huge difference in our performance for our latest runs down the strip at the All Harley Drag Racing Association (AHDRA) event on March 30th through April 1st. We vaporized all the existing EV drag racing records with a series of quicker and quicker record-breaking runs. On the last run of the event, we clocked 8.168 seconds at 155.78 MPH.

>>> More Batteries! < <<<

We put in another 110 of the most powerful Li-Ion cells in the world to make a total of 990 A123 Systems M1 cells in the bike. This pushed the power output to over 350 HP. We are now able to draw 1575 amps from the 375 volt, 7.5 kW-hr battery pack. There are just 161 lbs of cells in this pack. We call the A123 Systems battery pack “Mister Fusion” because it acts like a bottomless pit of power and energy on the track. We could make 7 or 8 runs without recharging if we wanted. It only takes a few minutes to recharge the pack between runs, so we top it off every time. We only use about 700 w-hrs (about $0.10) of electricity for each round. This includes the burn-out and the more than 2 mile round trip back to the pits! Without these powerful A123 Systems batteries, we would have no hope of setting new world records.

>>> Series/Parallel Shifting < <<

Another change we made was to install a series/parallel contactor. The Zilla Controller has the ability to operate a series/parallel motor contactor automatically. The motors are initially configured in series. Thus, the full controller output current travels through both motors. This gives maximum starting torque. As the motors spin up, the voltage across each of them increases. When that voltage matches the battery voltage, the current will decrease as motor rpm continues to increase. The Zilla will then switch the motors into parallel connection. This will double to voltage available to each motor, but will divide the current. The motors can turn much faster, but with half the torque. It result is just like shifting a transmission from low to high.

We could not get the contactor to shift automatically during the two runs we had on Friday test and tune session. The 60 ft times were fantastic, (1.169 seconds) but we were not getting the top-end performance we needed. We re-wired the launch button to be a manual shift button and this proved to work quite well for the rest of the weekend. We plan to upgrade the Zilla firmware and we believe this will solve the auto-shift problem.

>>> Pack Heaters < <<<

Another improvement we made was to build in Kapton heaters into the battery pack. We used these to bring the pack up to optimum temperature, (75 Celsius) and maintain it there for maximum power output. The A123 Systems cells are unique in that you can bring them to very high temperatures without damage. (They age a bit more quickly at high temperature, but that is it.)

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[xcel]

Hi All:

___Doing my std. searches for tomorrow’s news and saw an interesting item pop up. I thought it was a rehash of the Killa-Cycle News item here but reading a bit further, something else caught my eye

E-dragsters go for gas-powered records.

Battery technology driving more speedy race vehicles.

AP - July 29, 2007

Electric Killacycle rider Scotty Pollacheck sends smoke flying as he burns out during a race in Portland, Ore. These days at the racetrack, it's increasingly about electric vehicles vs. gas-powered cars, trucks and motorcycles.

PORTLAND, Ore. - Straddling a 619-pound motorcycle, Scotty Pollacheck tucks in his knees and lowers his head as he waits for the green light. When he revs the engine, there's no roar. The bike moves so fast that within seconds all that's visible is a faint red taillight melting in the distance.

Pollacheck crosses the quarter-mile marker doing 156 mph; he's traveled 1,320 feet in 8.22 seconds, faster than any of the gas-powered cars, trucks or motorcycles that have raced in the drag sprints on this weekend at Portland International Raceway.

It's particularly impressive given Pollacheck is riding a vehicle that uses no gasoline and is powered entirely by lithium-ion batteries.

Electric vehicles are making their presence felt at amateur drag races across the country, challenging gas-powered cars and motorcycles. The "amp heads," computer geeks and tree-hugging environmentalists driving the electron-powered vehicles are starting to kick some major rear end.

Pollacheck and his bike — dubbed the KillaCycle — are part of a growing movement that's exploiting breakthroughs in battery technology and could soon challenge the world's fastest-accelerating vehicles in the $1 billion drag-racing industry.

"This is a disruptive technology and there is a lot of room for improvement in this area," said Ric Fulop, founder and vice president of business development for A123, the maker of KillaCycle's batteries.

In December, the KillaCycle will receive a second-generation battery pack that will have twice as much juice as its current 374-volt system, giving it close to 1,000 horsepower. Fulop said he believes the KillaCycle can break the drag racing motorcycle record within the next year.

___Could the new A123Systems - Ultra high power AHR32113M1Ultra be what Killacycle will be equipped with next?



___Good Luck

___Wayne