Building an Electric Motorcycle: Design and Construction of a Zero Roadside Emissions Vehicle

This report details the process of building an electric drive system for a motorcycle, and covers some of the background information necessary for a full understanding of the components involved and their functionality. Topics discussed in this paper are: power estimates, compressed air power, battery chemistries, battery management systems, battery chargers, electric motors, motor controllers, direct sprocket drive, frame modifications, part mounting, and wiring. These topics are discussed in the context in which they apply to the project build, which is a conversion of a street motorcycle to fully electric drive. The complete electric drive system which resulted from this project was fully assembled on a sport motorcycle chassis, and has an estimated top speed and average range of 70 mph and 40 miles