Electric Motorcycles Closing Gap on Speed

An English entrepreneur is developing an all-electric motorcycle he says can compete on the racetrack, Wired reports. Well, in the near future. His prototype—the bike is expected to be for sale next year and will be legal for street use—can go from 0 to 60 in 3.8 seconds and tops out at 135mph. That falls short of gas bikes, but Azhar Hussain says his TTX can lead the way in the "next generation of the sport."

“As far as we know, this is the fastest road-legal electric bike in the world,” he said. Currently, the bike can go 20 to 40 miles on a charge, depending on speed. To better adapt it to the racing world, Hussain is working on quick-change batteries and an energy regeneration system like that used on hybrids. With a price tag of $30,000, it’s much more expensive than electric commuter scooters—but a heck of a lot faster. (More electric motorcycle stories.)