It seems like more and more often we see exciting innovations in the electric vehicle industry. A new project that has been undertaken by students from ETH Zurich and Zurich University of the Arts is no exception to this rule. The team of 13 mechanical engineering, 1 electrical engineering and 2 industrial design students have created an innovative new electric powered motorcycle that is making a lot of leaders in the industry pay attention.

It is no surprise that the Ethec is making so much noise. Packed full of smart solutions and cutting edge tech, it is challenging the way in which electric bikes are designed and manufactured.

Front Wheel-Hub Motor
While approximately 75% of braking energy is normally lost through the front wheel, Ethec wanted to remedy this. Thanks to integrating a front wheel hub motor, the bike is able to “recuperate braking energy and obtain higher efficiency, safety and a superior overall driving experience.” (Ethec)

Innovative Breaking Leaver
In addition to energy saving, the motorbike includes a high precision brake lever that uses an integrated inductive sensor. The information gathered allows the vehicle to increase gradual recuperation on both wheels.

Battery Storage
At the heart of any cutting edge electric machine is the battery. By adopting innovative thermal management, the Ethec motorbike provides a prolonged constant range as well as guaranteed efficiency and safe operation.

Sleek Monobody Design
The first thing you will notice about this motorbike is its sleek and attractive design. The creators designed it having the shape of human body in mind. Several parts of the machine represent their human equivalents.

The authors point to the headlight, attached to the collar, as a crucial element of the design which stands for the vehicle’s head. Then, the “prominent expansion of the shoulders gives the motorcycles’ front view a powerful look. The slim seat represents the waist in front of the broadening rear, which finalizes the shape of the monobody.” (Ethec)

The appearance of Ethec’s monobody as a whole unequivocally brings about the associations with dynamics so it gives the impression of being always in motion.

Cooling Systems
Like all electric vehicles that run off a high powered lithium-ion battery, cooling was a key challenge with this project.

The team responsible for its design remedied this by incorporating a thermoelectrical cooling system which allows the battery to maintain the perfect temperature. This was achieved by combining a reliable power source with a low-maintenance cooling system and a direct-cooling oil stream around all cells.

The Ethec team of ambitious engineers have gained a substantial amount of sponsorship from throughout industry. This means we are likely to see considerable marketing and continued development of the motorbike as time goes on.

Images: Ethec >