KillaCycle Lowers Electric ET Record to 8.16 Seconds

KillaCycle, the electric dragbike we just told you about that ran an 8.76 sec ET, went out and lowered that ET record again, this time running an 8.16 second quarter mile. Electric motorcycle doubters are going to have a really tough time if KillaCycle keeps this up.

Press release follows:

A123Systems today announced that The KillaCycle, the world’s quickest electric motorcycle and the official world record holder in the ¼ mile drag, broke the world record again using its lithium-ion batteries. The official record for any electric vehicle worldwide in the ¼ mile is set now at an elapsed time of 8.16 seconds. Further, The KillaCycle holds the top speed record for the ¼ mile, at a blistering 156mph.

Powered by 990 A123Systems Nanophosphate™ cells, The KillaCycle set the new world record for the fourth time in two days at the All Harley Drag Racing Association (AHDRA) event at the Firebird Speedway in Chandler, AZ on Saturday, March 31, 2007. Weighing just over 165 pounds, the A123Systems battery pack delivers over 350 horse power to the motorcycle drivetrain and holds 7.5 kWh of energy. With the A123Systems battery pack, The KillaCycle goes from 0 to 60mph in under 1.5 seconds.

“We continue to be thrilled with the superior performance of these cells, which we first started using last year,” explained Bill Dube´, designer, builder and owner of The KillaCycle. “The improvements we’ve made to the bike in the past three months paid off and we improved our time by over 0.6 seconds, a huge performance increase in such a short time. With these batteries, we know that we will be able to continue to improve our performance and establish new records.”

The A123Systems Nanophosphate cells are next-generation Automotive Class Lithium-Ion™ batteries designed for exceptional power, safety and life. Using a unique, patented, revolutionary chemistry, these batteries provide high performance and abuse-tolerance unmatched by any other lithium-ion battery chemistry.

“The KillaCycle is a great example of how our battery technology enables electric drive automotive applications to experience a new level of battery performance,” said Jonah Myerberg, senior engineer at A123Systems. “We look forward to working with Bill Dube’ and his team to continue to push the limits in racing and can offer these same improvements to others within the automotive market.”

About A123Systems

A123Systems is one of the world’s leading suppliers of high-power lithium-ion batteries. The company’s patented Nanophosphate technology enables its batteries to deliver previously unattainable levels of power, safety and life. Applicable to a wide range of industries, A123Systems’ products remove many traditional technology constraints to provide OEMs expanded flexibility in system design. A123Systems’ wholly owned subsidiary T/J Technologies (Ann Arbor, Michigan) is nationally recognized for new materials development and cutting-edge research. With the largest lithium-ion R&D team in North America, world-class expertise and management, and global manufacturing operations, A123Systems’ Automotive Class Lithium IonTM batteries are leading the automotive movement towards platform electrification. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Massachusetts, A123Systems’ proprietary nanoscale electrode technology is built on initial developments from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.