{"id":2272,"date":"2019-01-07T15:03:32","date_gmt":"2019-01-07T14:03:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/en.advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/?p=2272"},"modified":"2019-01-07T15:03:32","modified_gmt":"2019-01-07T14:03:32","slug":"electrifying-the-two-wheeler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/2019\/01\/07\/electrifying-the-two-wheeler\/","title":{"rendered":"Electrifying the two-wheeler"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Electrifying<\/p>\n

Electrifying the two-wheeler<\/h4>\n

Alta Motors did not set out to create a zero-emission vehicle or invent a vital cog in the new landscape of electrified mobility. It wanted to build the best motorcycle it could regardless of powertrain, with products to satisfy the most serious motorcyclists. The fact that Alta\u2019s electrified two-wheelers are pushing the envelope in terms of power density and control algorithms is secondary, as the company seems mostly fueled by a genuine passion for its products.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ll need that zeal, because they\u2019ve entered a rough market, irrespective of propulsion source (see \u201cMaking It…\u201d sidebar). Alta also has taken more of a racing-focused and proprietary component route, accepting fewer compromises from a supply base that is still struggling with automotivescale electrified products, never mind those of a motorcycle startup.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This is a tougher route to ride, and such tenacity may bring more pains as the company grows, but it\u2019s quickly won Alta\u2019s products many fans in a niche field. Automotive Engineering spent a day with company co-founder and CTO Derek Dorresteyn discussing Alta\u2019s genesis, technology and products. Our visit also included ripping up the nearby streets of San Francisco on several Alta offerings to see if the hype around one of the newest OEMs was warranted.<\/p>\n

Competition-focused product line Alta does not build touring bikes. It instead applies research and engineering resources towards motorcycle products that best leverage the strengths of an electric powertrain (instant torque) and minimize the drawbacks (range). The result is Alta\u2019s lineup of competition-grade off-road motocross, street-legal enduro\/dual-sport and street-legal supermoto models.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The week we visited, Alta earned its first AMA Pro EnduroCross podium, competing on equal footing with gasoline powered machines. A tour of Alta\u2019s corporate offices and manufacturing line in Brisbane, Calif.\u2014housed under one roof in a nondescript industrial park just south of San Francisco \u2014was led by Dorresteyn, who along with Jeff Sand (chief design officer) and Marc Fenigstein (chief product officer), founded Alta in 2010 and moved Alta to the Brisbane location in 2015.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cJeff Sand and I had gotten together over the idea of an electric motorcycle and we were working on it nights and weekends. That was 2008 and \u201809, and in 2009, we also brought on the third co-founder, Mark Fenigstein,\u201d Dorresteyn explained. \u201cAt the time, I owned a CNC machine shop in San Francisco and ended up staffing out a little bit, hiring additional engineers to work on this and we got to a concept point where we thought it was worth trying to form a company and raise some capital.\u201d<\/p>\n

The nascent OEM quickly outgrew the machine shop, noted Dorresteyn, a fourth-generation Californian who studied industrial design at San Francisco State University. The team proceeded to build out the Brisbane space from an empty shell in 2015, and by the time of our tour in 2018, were already looking for additional facility space.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dorresteyn impresses as sort of a Conan O\u2019Brien\/Tony Stark mashup, providing the sense that if ever held captive in a cave by terrorists and you had him, a welder and a lathe, you\u2019d likely Iron Man your way out. This comes to mind as we\u2019re walking the low-key production line laced with networked Raspberry Pi modules tracking assembly metrics.<\/p>\n

Dorresteyn is calmly explaining that thanks to the battery pack\u2019s IP67 waterproof rating and automotive-grade connectors, theoretically, you could ride an Alta motorcycle underwater. \u201cNot that I can recommend it,\u201d he said, while also noting the pressure-relief capability for high-altitude riding. Low volume derived from high volume That Alta-engineered, -designed and -built 5.8-kW\u00b7h Li-Ion 350v battery pack is the heart of its products. Currently on what Dorresteyn claims is \u201cversion 1.5,\u201d the 67.9-lb (30.8-kg) pack uses the same cylindrical 18650 cells that Tesla has applied, a keen counter to low volumes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is something that Tesla founder Martin Eberhard realized some years ago, that cylindrical cells are currently produced in the highest volume of any format of lithium-ion batteries,\u201d Dorresteyn said. \u201cBecause the volume is there, we\u2019ve got very high quality, the latest technology and because it\u2019s a standardized format, we have some amount of competition between different manufacturers.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

All that adds up to a better business case and a better product case.\u201d Alta\u2019s battery technology is focused on the integration of cylindrical cells and is easily extensible into the 21700 or other cylindrical formats, Dorresteyn explained. \u201cWe\u2019ve worked hard to develop relationships with some of the biggest and best battery technology companies in the world,\u201d he said. \u201cThat was a heavy lift, because we had to convince these companies that we could safely integrate their technology into a high-voltage automotive battery pack.\u201d<\/p>\n

Power density with safety Alta claims one of the industry\u2019s highest system-level power densities at 185 watt-hours per kilogram. \u201cA lot of the work we\u2019ve done is how do you take mass, cost and volume out of the system and still safely integrate a high-voltage pack to the cell?\u201d Dorresteyn asked. \u201cWe\u2019ve developed the full stack of the EV drivetrain from cell-to-output and everything in between\u2014all the electronics, all the firmware\u2014and we think it\u2019s absolutely critical to producing class-leading products.\u201d<\/p>\n

The approach has allowed Alta\u2019s engineers to work quickly to improve and advance these systems, but also not to be beholden to other partners\u2019 concepts or priorities. They\u2019ve also focused great attention on propagation resistance, an aspect of battery-pack design that Dorresteyn believes does not receive as much as attention as it should.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you have a battery cell that, for a myriad of reasons\u2014it could be a manufacturing defect, a mechanical intrusion\u2014goes into thermal runaway, that heat doesn\u2019t bring other cells in the pack also into thermal runaway,\u201d he asserted. \u201cThis is one of the foundations of our safety approach to lithium-ion batteries and we\u2019ve developed patents around that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Past the power source Alta assembles its components into complete motorcycles via a snaking, on-site assembly line, with the battery pack powering a 14,000-rpm permanent-magnet AC motor located at the motorcycle\u2019s roll center. The placement and low counter-rotational mass permits what Alta claims is \u201cthe lowest polar moment of inertia in motorcycling\u201d to reduce gyroscopic effects on handling.<\/p>\n

Roughly equivalent to a modern 350-cc engine, the newest \u201cRedshift\u201d version of the motor weighs 15 lb (6.8 kg) and delivers 50 hp at the countershaft, routing power through a 3.5:1 reduction gear to deliver 42 lb\u00b7ft (57 N\u00b7m) at the wheel from 0 rpm. The frame\u2019s stressed chassis core (what Alta labels the \u201cbulkhead\u201d) functions as the motor\u2019s outer casing and a coolant circuit for the liquid-cooled motor and inverter, as well as the transmission case for the gear reduction. It\u2019s also the main structural hub connecting to the rear suspension, the forged chassis and the trellis skidframe.<\/p>\n

Aside from the electrified powertrain, the bodywork, suspension, brakes, wheels and tires on all Alta models are entirely conventional, and therefore compatible with a host of aftermarket suppliers. On the road Alta\u2019s motorcycles, particularly the latest Redshift models that added power and range, have received overwhelmingly positive reviews. After chasing ex-prolevel motocrosser Dorresteyn around the wildly entertaining San Francisco streets on dual-sport and supermoto models, AE believes the praise is warranted.<\/p>\n

The seamlessness and intuitive linearity of the controls belie Alta\u2019s limited time in the industry. \u201cOne of the things that\u2019s different from the car world is that you use wheel slip as a control vector, especially in off-road motorcycles,\u201d Dorresteyn explained. \u201cAnd there\u2019s an expectation by the rider for that to happen in a very intuitive way, so they feel confident in the way the machine is behaving. We\u2019ve done a tremendous amount of development and testing around those characteristics.\u201d<\/p>\n

That work paid dividends, as Alta\u2019s products are serious motorcycles that welcome aggressive riding and easily live up to the performance expectations of seasoned pilots. The biggest adjustment from a conventional motorcycle is about all the things you don\u2019t have to do (warm up the engine, shift gears, clutch, etc.), leaving a safer chunk of attention for piloting duties. A ride selector with four distinct modes provides a machine with personalities from docile to hooligan, making it simultaneously suitable for novice or expert, or a machine to grow with.<\/p>\n

The other big adjustment is an e-moto\u2019s lack of noise. Silent save wind noise and chain whir, the rider feels almost unnaturally aware and plugged into the surroundings. \u201cThe lack of noise is a huge benefit across the entire spectrum of motorcycling,\u201d Dorresteyn said. \u201cWhen you look at the loss of riding areas in the world, the move out of the urban areas, the loss of race tracks, it\u2019s almost 100% driven by noise compliance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Engineering in the e-mobility space So how does Alta view itself in a rapidly shifting mobility landscape? \u201cWe\u2019re currently a motorcycle manufacturer, but we\u2019re also an electric drivetrain developer and manufacturer,\u201d Dorresteyn explained. \u201cIn the process of building an electric motorcycle, we\u2019ve built a deep team and level of expertise around all the components of an electric drivetrain.\u201d<\/p>\n

That expertise is not always easy to come by. Dorresteyn noted that much like aerospace did in L.A. starting in the late 1950s, the e-mobility craze in the Bay Area is a double-edged sword: There\u2019s talent available but you\u2019ll pay for it. On its 40-strong engineering staff, Alta counts a number of ex-Tesla employees, plus Formula SAE alumni. \u201cWe have industrial design, mechanical, electrical, firmware, software and test engineers and some specialists in things like thermal and simulation. We also have, separate from all of that, manufacturing engineering, which is constantly trying to increase our quality by improving traceability and control of everything we manufacture.\u201d<\/p>\n

Challenges and the last mile Particularly for racing and off-road applications, riding range may not be the non-starter for motorcyclists it is for consumers in the automotive space. \u201cIt\u2019s still a hurdle for us, but we\u2019re trying to select markets and segments of markets that satisfies most consumers\u2019 use cases,\u201d Dorresteyn admitted. \u201cWe\u2019re focusing on urban transportation and off-road, where the total energy required is less.\u201d<\/p>\n

As far as being part of the larger electrified landscape, unlike e-bicycles and scooters, Dorresteyn says he would not position e-motos and Alta in the same \u201clast-mile\u201d scenarios as those lower-speed solutions.\u201cWhen we think of last mile now, we think of literally going a mile or two at relatively low speeds with a conveniently placed public transportation vehicle that you can pick off a rack and ride to work and ride back. \u201cMotorcycles are personal transportation and they\u2019re a lot of things that scooters and e-bicycles aren\u2019t,\u201d he opined. \u201cThey\u2019re exciting, quick, very capable. You can crisscross a city. It\u2019s a much more personalized form of transportation and also expressive of the owner and rider, something they take as part of their image to the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for being part of the larger-scale e-mobility landscape, Dorresteyn says Alta is all in, and few who have experienced it would argue when he says: \u201cThe supermoto-bike that we have, in an urban environment\u2026 I have not ridden anything that is more fun than that.\u201d \u201cPassion is a pretty important thing for us,\u201d Dorresteyn said. \u201cWe have people that are passionate for building better motorcycles, and for building better EVs. We have people that are passionate about the electrification of transportation as a whole and about their specialties in design engineering. That\u2019s what drives this place, completely.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Making it in e-motorcycles<\/h4>\n

Motorcycle sales in the U.S. have not rebounded since the Great Recession, hovering around the 500,000 units\/year-mark since 2009, when the recession more than halved sales. Global markets\u2014where motorcycles purchases are less discretionary and smaller displacement machines often dominate the urban landscape\u2014have rebounded far better since the recession, while the U.S. has seen additional casualties.<\/p>\n

The U.S. motorcycle market has been a rough business since its inception. After its founding in 1903, Harley-Davidson (H-D) outlasted dozens of competitors to become the sole volume American manufacturer for decades. Polaris Industries launched Victory Motorcycles in 1998, and though it ended the brand in 2017, it continues in-essence as Indian Motorcycle. For electrified drivetrains, none of the global motorcycle OEMs have yet to commit, save KTM with a single off-road model, the Freeride E-XC. The Lightning brand has demonstrated stunning performances at places like Pikes Peak and Bonneville with its LS-218 superbike, but seems to be in perpetual prototyping mode since launching in 2006.<\/p>\n

Mission Motors (which was involved in H-D\u2019s LiveWire project\u2014see sidebar) ceased operation in 2015, the same year Polaris Industries acquired Brammo\u2019s e-moto division which it then nixed in 2017 along with the Victory brand under which it was marketed.This e-moto pair join gasoline-powered makes Motus and Buell in the recent \u201cformer\u201d column of motorcycle manufacturers.<\/p>\n

On the electrified front\u2014with Alta Motors recently going into a non-producing \u201clow-power\u201d mode at presstime, presumably in hopes of securing new financing\u2014the current major domestic player is Zero Motorcycles. Another NorCal operation begun as Electricross in 2006, Zero now builds 2,000 bikes a year in Scotts Valley just north of Santa Cruz. It is the only manufacturer to provide a full-range electric motorcycle via its 13 kWh Zero S model (shown at left), claiming a 223-mile (359-km) urban capability.<\/p>\n

Zero offers six street and soft-roading models, with export distribution in Europe and Australia. Italy\u2019s Energica Motor Company, a Modena-based subsidiary of CRP Group, builds three trellis-framed electric sportbike models (Eva, Ego and EsseEsse9) around an 11.7kW\u00b7h lithium-polymer battery pack and oil-cooled, permanent-magnet motor. Featuring four riding modes with four regenerative maps, depending on the model, Energica\u2019s powertrain delivers 148 lb\u00b7ft (201 N\u00b7m), 145 hp and a 150-mph (241-km\/h) top speed.<\/p>\n

Harley-Davidson amps up (literally)<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In July 2018, American motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson made a nearly unprecedented announcement about its future products. Part of a global investment strategy to help create a new generation of motorcyclists, the plans from H-D promised not only a novel and global mix of products in new segments (including adventure, street-fighter and small-displacement machines), but also a commitment to electrified motorcycles.<\/p>\n

This includes the 2019 launch of its stunning LiveWire (which first debuted in conceptform in 2014; bottom photo), followed by two new middleweight e-models with \u201caccessible power and price points,\u201d and three new lightweight (think urban, scooter or e-bicycle-like) models by 2022.<\/p>\n

Then in September, H-D announced it is establishing an R&D center in Silicon Valley to help engineer this new electrified lineup, with the facility serving as a satellite of itsMilwaukee-area product development center in Wauwatosa, Wisc. H-D claimed it planned to hire 25 people from the Bay Area with electrical, mechanical and software engineering skills and will open the new center in the fourth quarter of 2018.<\/p>\n

H-D remains mum about its previous equity investment in Alta Motors\u2014which in mid-October reportedly ceased production of Alta-brand electric motorcycles\u2014and the work it had done with the now-defunct Mission Motors on the LiveWire concept. But with its July announcement and creation of the Silicon Valley center, H-D apparently has committed to its own e-moto engineering.<\/p>\n

This new facility will serve as a satellite for the Willie C. Davidson Product Development center in Wauwatosa, which is where I\u2019m located,\u201d explained Sean Stanley, H-D\u2019s chief engineer for EV platforms. \u201cIt will initially focus on EV research and development and it includes battery power electronics, emachine design, development and advanced manufacturing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will be working directly with the EVsystems team there, establishing an EV architecture and building blocks that can support many of the vehicles that we plan to bring to market,\u201d Stanley told AE. \u201cAt the PDC in Wauwatosa, we\u2019ll take those building blocks \u2014that the Silicon Valley center develops\u2014 through the product development cycle to prepare for commercially available vehicles.\u201d So far, H-D is the only major motorcycle OEM to announce specific plans for an electrified addition to its traditional lineup. Next year\u2019s LiveWire is being positioned as a \u201cpremium, highperformance motorcycle with streetfighter style and attitude.\u201d<\/p>\n

As to what\u2019s prompted the first major OEM\u2014one legendary for its V-twin engine architecture and characteristic exhaust note\u2014to add electric offerings, Stanley noted that, \u201cEV technology has a lot to offer in the area of new experiences and connections to the motorcycle and environment around you. Simplistic, twist and go riding [as] there\u2019s no shifting. Reducing the noise to focus more on the experience of riding. The instant torque, reduced maintenance. A bike that\u2019s easy to control for novice riders, all the way up to performance that intrigues experienced riders.\u201d<\/p>\n

And what about that sound? \u201cA Harley-Davidson wouldn\u2019t be a Harley without a signature sound,\u201d Stanley said. \u201cWe have and will continue to focus efforts in this area and deliver an authentic and unique sound.\u201d<\/p>\n

Written by: Paul Seredynski<\/p>\n

Source: Automotive Engineering\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Automotive Engineering magazine is the No. 1 resource for engineers across multiple disciplines in the automotive industry. Published 10 times annually, Automotive Engineering engages decision makers who buy and specify product. Each issue includes special features and technology reports, from topics such as: vehicle development and systems engineering, powertrain and subsystems, environment, electronics, testing and simulation, and design for manufacturing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Electrifying the two-wheeler Alta Motors did not set out to create a zero-emission vehicle or invent a vital cog in the new landscape of electrified mobility. It wanted to build the best motorcycle it could regardless of powertrain, with products to satisfy the most serious motorcyclists. The fact that Alta\u2019s electrified two-wheelers are pushing the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[7,9],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2272"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2272"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2272\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}