White Motorcycle Concepts (WMC), the Northampton, UK-based company behind the British electric motorcycle land-speed world-record program, has collaborated with Zero Motorcycles to prototype the world’s first electric sports bike to incorporate WMC’s patented intelligent aerodynamic duct. The resulting concept called WMCSRS—the acronym combining WMC and SR/S from the Zero model—presents the patented duct producing a 10% reduction in aerodynamic drag within a mid-sized sports bike.

“The whole industry is currently facing a huge technical/commercial challenge to produce an electric motorcycle with performance close to its petrol equivalent,” said Robert White, Founder & CEO of White Motorcycle Concepts. “This problem space will not be solved by battery technology alone; it requires a blend of innovations to bridge the gap now and provide efficiency benefits in the future.”

The WMCSRS development is the most important data point for WMC’s aerodynamic duct technology so far. It follows on from the company’s most radical application of the technology in the electric WMC250EV (covered here), for which developers created a motorcycle 70% more aerodynamically efficient than a Suzuki Hayabusa. At the other end of the spectrum for the WMC300E+, they incorporated the duct into a Yamaha Tricity 300 for use in fleets and emergency services.

The architecture of the Zero SR/S makes it ideal to integrate an aerodynamic duct. The re-engineered concept incorporates a bifurcated aerodynamic duct running directly through the center of the motorcycle, channeling air from behind the front wheel and exiting above the rear wheel. To enhance the airflow through the patented duct, the team has also designed a new aerodynamic front fender and fork shroud package, ensuring maximum airflow through the system.

The two companies, which first connected at the Italian motorcycle show EICMA in November 2023, say they share a vision focused on advancing efficient innovation and improving range performance to meet EV motorcycle customer expectations. They have been working on an accelerated development program to deliver the proof of concept.

“When I first saw the Zero SR/S frame and battery architecture, I immediately recognized the opportunity to retrofit a duct,” said White. “I’m proud of what we’ve achieved, though the duct is limited by existing packaging constraints. It would offer even greater performance if integrated from the start of a motorcycle’s design.”

Following processes and procedures learned while working in F1 and world sports car programs, and honed on similar projects, the WMC engineering team rapidly developed the concept. Company engineers used a range of validated in-house modeling and computer fluid dynamics simulation techniques, prototyping and validation, and engineering and delivering a full assembly for real-world testing.

The WMC design team created a vertically bifurcated duct that picks the air up behind the front wheel, navigates the existing Zero SR/S architecture, and exits the bike just under the seat. Through the baseline testing phase, the engineering team used F1-style aero rakes in front and behind the front wheel and in front of the rear wheel to gain a deep understanding of the airflow. This work identified the impact of the upstream architecture on the performance of the duct, so bespoke front fenders and fork shrouds were created to enhance overall performance.

“Aerodynamics is a hot topic, especially in MotoGP, where winglets and other devices improve lap times, though the efficiency benefit does not always translate to retail bikes,” added White. “Our intelligent aero duct enhances aerodynamic efficiency, positively impacting upon power consumption, especially at high speeds.”

The concept behind the central air duct has been honed as part of WMC’s land-speed record program. In the WMCSRS development, the 10% increase in aerodynamic efficiency, equates to increased range at highway speeds.

The duct is affordable to integrate and manufacture, with its range of benefits remaining consistent over time. It enables increased and sustainable top speed and better acceleration with a very low risk of component failure. The advantages increase with higher-speed riding, unlike batteries, which tend to lose efficiency under such conditions.

The aerodynamic efficiency gain can also be used to reduce battery size, which cuts down on weight, charge time, and expenses.

“We are committed to innovation and, while battery development is advancing rapidly, we believe a combination of technologies is the key to developing the electric motorcycles of the future,” said Abe Askenazi, CTO of Zero Motorcycles. “This proof of concept has given us valuable insights into the potential benefits of integrating an aerodynamic duct into electric motorcycles, and we will continue to explore complementary technological advancements to deliver market-leading products for our customers.”

WMC says that the benefits from the patented duct will increase over time. As motorcycles remain a similar size to accommodate riders and battery energy density increases, it opens the potential for larger duct volumes.

Zero will debut the WMCSRS concept at Motorcycle Live held at the National Exhibition Centre Birmingham, in the UK beginning November 16th.