Murata technology helps the University of Nottingham to a podium finish at the Isle of Man TT Zero

On 8th June 2016 The University of Nottingham (UoN) electric superbike became the fastest university-developed electric bike around the 37 mile Isle of Man road circuit winning 3rd place on the podium in the 2016 TT Zero at the word-famous event. Murata not only sponsored the bike but also provided IGBT gate drive dc-dc conversion technology which helped the team achieve successful balance of power output and energy preservation.

The Isle of Man TT Zero race is a particularly gruelling challenge for electric bikes because the length of the race requires performance to be balanced with energy usage, top speed being sacrificed for range to ensure a finish. Despite this the Murata/Uon bike, ridden by Daley Mathison, achieved an average speed of a fraction under 100mph, finishing ahead of the re-race favourite John McGuinness on the works Mugen/Honda.

What is the Isle of Man TT?

The Isle of Man TT race meeting is widely accepted as one of the greatest, most challenging, and most dangerous motorsport event in the world – having claimed the lives of 244 riders since the event was founded. The course has more than 60 corners and rises from sea level to 422m. Unlike racing circuits, this road course takes riders at speeds in excess of 200mph (322kph) through towns and villages where kerbs, buildings, lamp post, and spectators are just centimetres from the speeding bikes.

What’s next for the Murata/UoN electric superbike?

Whilst a 3rd place finish at the TT is an amazing achievement (considering the huge budgets of the competing works teams) the UoN team have even greater goals. A second bike was constructed at this year’s TT but was not ready to compete. This new bike has been designed from the ground-up to be even faster than the updated 2015 bike which was raced. Packing more stored energy and sporting an improved battery management system and custom-written controller, we can expect to see circuit records being broken during the 2016 Moto-e series of races. With an expected top speed of around 220mph (354kph) the British electric land speed record in firmly in the team’s sights.

2016 Moto-e Series

Next up for the UoN/Murata team is the 2016 Moto-e Series, which the team enters as 2015 champions. Consisting of 11 races at five venues, this series is Europe’s only electric bike championship. In keeping with its rising profile, events this year will take place alongside other established formulas, including the German Superbike Series.

Moto-e 2016 schedule:

The Isle of Man has marked a great start to what promises to be a great season for the UoN/Murata team …watch out Mugen/Honda!