NAWA Racer is a hybrid electric motorbike
NAWA Racer is an electric motorbike with a pioneering hybrid system. Created by NAWA Technologies, this lightweight, compact hybrid battery combines the French firm’s high-energy carbon-based ultracapacitors, capable of storing five times more energy than existing technologies, with a conventional lithium-ion battery. The result is the doubling of range, as well as a reduction in the weight of the battery system by half. The hybrid battery system can also be applied to cars, with NAWA saying an electric vehicle is possible in the next two to three year. The motorbike concept will be officially revealed at CES in Las Vegas on 7 January 2020.
Envisage Group collaborated on the NAWA Racer design
NAWA collaborated with UK design and engineering firm Envisage Group on the development of the bike’s shape and form. The design is inspired by the 1960s café racers, as they were light, powerful and urban-friendly. The NAWA Racer is also nimble thanks to its compact hybrid battery and carbon frame. And it is designed mainly for city commutes as the hybrid battery can reuses energy from stop-start riding in urban traffic for an extended range of up to 300km, charged to 80% in one hour from a home supply.
The design is inspired by the 1960s Café Racers
The bike uses NAWACap ultracapacitors, which are positioned on the top tank area offering 0.1 kWh, in turn boosting the lithium-ion battery mounted low in the chassis where the internal combustion engine usually sits. Re-using more than 80% of the energy captured from regenerative braking – lithium-ion typically re-uses 30% – the tech allows the racer to work with a smaller lithium-ion battery that is just 9 kWh, around half the size of a conventional electric sports bike’s battery. What’s more, the NAWACap pack is just 10kg, reducing the motorbike’s weight to 150kg.
The bike is made of lightweight composite panels, painted aluminum and copper, based on a carbon … [+]
In terms of power, the hub-less rim motor produces 100ps, with accelerating to 62mph in less than three seconds. The NAWACap pack can also be removed and swapped for different levels of performance. There are “eco” and “race” modes on-board – the latter is inspired by the original days of the café racer, when riders would go “record racing” – short, fast rides to an agreed point and back, before a record had finished on the café’s jukebox.
The designers have worked with lightweight composite panels, painted aluminum and copper, based on a strong, stiff but light carbon frame. There are plenty of details here such as LED lighting for the headlight and taillight, anodized matt black suspension forks, nubuck leather saddle in vintage camel and a hub-less rim motor.
The bike uses NAWACap ultracapacitors, positioned on the top tank area
“The NAWA Racer is our vision for the electric motorbike of tomorrow – a retro-inspired machine, but one that is thoroughly modern,” says Ulrik Grape, NAWA Technologies CEO. “It is lightweight, fast and fun, perfect for an emission-free city commute that will put a smile on your face. But it also lays down a blueprint for the future. NAWA Technologies’ next-gen ultracapacitors have unleashed the potential of the hybrid battery system – and this design of powertrain is fully scale-able. There is no reason why this cannot be applied to a larger motorbike, or car or other electric vehicle. And what is more, this technology could go into production in the very near future.”
Read about some of the other exciting two-wheel e-transport ideas, including Rad Power Bike’s RadRunner, the inventive Zbee e-pod by Swedish brand Clean Motion, see some of the e-mobility concepts from the Frankfurt Motor Show, an autonomous bus and three-wheel robot and Audi’s Ride e-tron scooter which promises skateboard thrills.
