Aim
The aim for the Bath Zero project is to build a fully electric motorcycle and race it against the best in the world. Last year the bike came 4th at the Isle of Man TT in the Zero class, a result we aim to build on in the future. This project is undertaken by undergraduate engineering students from the University of Bath.
The team
The core team is made up of seven final years spread across the mechanical and electrical engineering departments. This year we also have nine third years, as well as a number of second and first years helping out as part of the team. Some of us are bikers, and some of us are just keen engineers excited to be at the bleeding edge of electric motorbike technology.
Our story
Inspired by the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy (TT) races, Bath Zero Emissions Motorcycles was set up in late 2014 by a group of students in the Faculty of Engineering and Design at the University of Bath to become a part of the TT by competing in the forward-thinking TT Zero class.
The team designed and built their first motorcycle, Odin, to compete at the 2016 Isle of Man TT. With a huge effort Odin was made ready for the race and ran in the team’s first competition year, achieving more in doing so than some factory teams.
Following the TT, the team entered the 2016 Moto E Race series, developing Odin further and racing around Europe. Over the series the team were thrilled to make two podiums and were rewarded with an academic award for their efforts over the race series.
The 2017's team built on the success of the 2016's team and built Apollo, which came 7th in the Isle of Man TT Zero category, completing the lap with an average speed of 77mph. Apollo then went on to compete in several other races over the season including the Moto E Electric Superbike series and Aberdare Road Races.
The 2018 team produced a motorcycle capable of great things. Featuring more power than ever before. The motorcycle featured innovative battery mounting techniques achieving an incredibly high battery capacity. Unfortunately the motorcycle was involved in a fire on the Isle of Man. The team's tools, equipment and project for the last year were cruelly taken. Most importantly no one was injured.
The 2019 team designed, built and raced The Phoenix. After a rained off practice week the motorcycle raced at the Isle of Man TT Zero 2019 achieving 4th place with a top speed of 162mph and an average of 95mph around the 37.74 mile course. The motorcycle was also the top university team.
In 2020 the TT Zero at the Isle of Man will not be running, allowing us to focus our efforts elsewhere. Our focus this year will be the Bermuda Charge, a new event launching in September 2020. This exciting event will be headlining electric bikes and the media coverage will be reaching a worldwide audience.
Where will the money go?
The most important (and most expensive) part of an electric motorbike is the battery pack. We aim to design and build a set bespoke battery modules, delivering a mind boggling amount of power to the bike for a number of years.
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Why support?
All and any support is incredibly valuable to us, so please do take this opportunity to be part of this team and something truly special!