The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. | ISBN: 978-0-07-162294-3 | English | PDF | 384 Pages | 9.38 MB

Should anyone buy, convert, or build an electric motorcycle today? They can go as fast as 168 miles per hour! They are clean, efficient, and cost-effective. Plus, they haul! Electric motorcycles are virtually maintenance-free: They never require oil changes, new spark plugs, or any other regular repairs. You see, electric vehicles (EVs) were designed to do whatever was needed in the past and can be designed and refined to do whatever is needed in the future. What do you need an EV to be: big, small, powerful, fast, ultraefficient? Design to meet that need. Bill Dube did it with his electric motorcycle; why can--->-t you? Also, think about some of the facts and statistics from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and various notable sources: The DOE states that more than half the oil we use every day is imported. This level of dependence on imports (55 percent) is the highest in our history. The DOE even goes on to say that this dependence on foreign oil will increase as we use up domestic resources. Also, as a
national security issue, we all should be concerned that the vast majority of the world--->-s oil reserves are concentrated in the Middle East (65--->-75 percent) and controlled by the members of the OPEC oil cartel. Further, the DOE goes on to state that 133 million Americans live in areas that failed at least one National Ambient Air Quality Standard. Transportation motorcycles produce 25--->-75 percent of key chemicals that pollute the air, causing smog and health problems. All new motorcycles must meet federal emissions standards.
As motorcycles get older, however, the amount of pollution they produce increases. Here are some reasons why:
1. Although they are only at a relatively embryonic stage in terms of market penetration, electric motorcycles represent the most environmentally viable option because there are no emissions. The energy generated to power an EV and to move a motorcycle is 97 percent cleaner in terms of noxious pollutants.
2. Another advantage of electric motors is their ability to provide power at almost any engine speed. Whereas only about 20 percent of the chemical energy in gasoline gets converted into useful work at the wheels of an internal combustion motorcycle, 75 percent or more of the energy from a battery reaches the wheels of an EV.
3. One of the big arguments made by automobile companies against EVs is that they are powered by power plants, which are powered primarily by coal. Less than 2 percent of U.S. electricity is generated from oil, so using electricity as a transportation fuel would greatly reduce dependence on imported petroleum.
4. Even assuming that the electricity to power an EV is not produced from rooftop solar or natural gas (let--->-s assume it comes 100 percent from coal), it is still much cleaner than gasoline produced from petroleum.
5. In addition, power plants are stationary sources that can be modified over time to become cleaner.1