Streamlining

A streamlined electric motorcycle could be extremely efficient and practical.

• Terry Hershner and Craig Vetter's Zero Streamliner proved that efficiency was possible by setting several records.
• This was done at a cost of altering the frame, considered impractical by many.
• Vetter has shown that his full teardrop reduces highway speed energy use by 50%.

  It is optimized for 70 MPH with a 30 MPH headwind.

Reducing drag by mounting fairings that reduce the overall wetted surface of the vehicle and distributing pressure over the surface of that body.

See Also

• Wikipedia's Streamliner article for some history.
• Kammback describes the efficiency of a truncated teardrop, which is more stable in crosswinds.

Motivation

Context

• Loss of efficiency at speed is very high for a motorcycle and rider.
• Recharge rates for electric motorcycles will be roughly proportional to discharge rates at highway speeds for the near-term future.

So, minimizing drag changes the ratio of time spent riding to charging, which makes a Zero more suitable for travel.