How Do Electric Motorcycles Work?
Mechanism Behind Electric Motorcycles
Electric motorcycles are based on a similar mechanism as gas-powered motorcycles. They use an electric engine to generate power, which is then transformed into movement energy. But, there is one big difference. Instead of burning gas, the engine of an electric motorcycle uses electricity as its fuel. The electricity is provided by rechargeable batteries.
Using electricity is a much simpler and cleaner way to create an energy. It doesn’t require any burning procedure, the components don’t wear down that much, and there is no additional waste.
Let’s talk in detail about how these electric motorcycles actually work and look at their difference from gas-powered motorcycles.
Main Components of an Electric Motorcycle
An electric motorcycle, as any other motorcycle, is made from an enormous amount of components. All of these components are important for a proper functionality of the vehicle. Electric motorcycles are less complicated and considerably easier to maintain compared to gas-powered motorcycles.
Rechargeable Battery
The most important component of an electric motorcycle is its battery. These bikes don’t need big engines, but instead, they require a lot of space for the batteries. Each electric bike usually uses one single battery. There are multiple different types of batteries that are commonly used in electric motorcycles:
- Lithium
- Lithium Ion
- Lithium Phosphate
- Litihum Ion Phosphate
- Lead Acid
- Nickel Metal Hydride
All types of batteries are rechargeable and the lifespan is somewhere between 2-10 years, depending on the type.
Electric Engine
The engine of an electric motorcycle is much smaller and less complex compared to engines of conventional motorcycles, as it doesn’t have that many parts needed to operate. There is no cylinder and no piston, which are the two most important parts of gas-powered engines. Also, electric engines don’t need an engine oil, which the gas engines must have for lubrication.
Other components
To transfer the power from the engine into the wheels of the bike, both the electric motorcycles and gas-powered motorcycles have many different moving parts that are crucial for their functionality. The most important of these parts are chain and sprockets.
Electric motorcycles, however, are missing some components that gas motorcycle usually have such as a clutch, gas tank or exhaust.
Power Generation of an Electric Motorcycle
To generate power for your electric motorcycle, you have to deliver electricity into its engine, otherwise it simply won’t work. An electric bike without electricity is like a normal motorcycle without gas.
Charging the Battery
It all starts by charging the battery of your electric motorcycle. The process is very similar to charging the battery of an electric car and it takes anywhere between 1-3 hours. You can use any common electrical outlet for charging and no additional equipment is required.
Starting the Engine
Once the battery has been fully or partially charged, you can start the ignition of your motorcycle by turning the key. This is basically the same step as you would normally do with a conventional bike. Once the engine hes been started, the power will start flowing from the battery to the engine.
Acceleration
When you hold the throttle and accelerate your motorcycle, the power going out from the battery into the electric engine will increase. Moving parts of the engine will transfer the power into the sprockets and the chain will start moving. Movement of the chain will activate rotation of the rear wheel and the motorcycle will start going forward.
Thanks a very low friction in the engine, acceleration of an electric motorcycle is much faster and more powerful than acceleration of a gas-powered motorcycle.
Conclusion:
I really hope that this short article about electric motorcycles and their functionality will give you some basic understanding of these vehicles and their operation. Without a doubt, they are remarkable machines that will only gain more popularity in the future.