The 8th June 2016 saw the University of Nottingham’s (UoN) electric superbike become the fastest university-developed electric bike to go around the 37-mile Isle of Man road circuit winning third place in the 2016 TT Zero race. Murata not only sponsored the bike but also provided IGBT gate drive DC-DC conversion technology which helped the team achieve the right balance of power output and energy preservation.
The Isle of Man TT Zero race is a particularly gruelling challenge for electric bikes because the length of the race requires performance to be balanced with energy usage, high speed being sacrificed for range to ensure a finish. Despite this the Murata/UoN bike, ridden by Daley Mathison, achieved an average speed of a fraction under 100mph, finishing ahead of the race favourite John McGuinness on the works Mugen/Honda.
Photo caption: 2016 Isle of Man TT Zero winners (from left): Daley Mathison, UoN/Murata (3rd), Bruce Anstey, Mugen/Honda (1st), William Dunlop, Victory (2nd)
