Despite the challenges of working remotely, Washington Superbike continues to adapt! With continuing uncertainty and an inaccessible physical workspace, we have modified our plan for the next year. Washington Superbike will move forward with a ground-up build for the core components of the bike while minor components will be repurposed from the conversion bike. Working around our limited access to our in-person equipment, we hope to return in the fall to complete our first-ever custom-built electrical motorcycle by June 2021!
The team is hard at work finalizing the competition prototype’s design. Detailed CAD models and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations help ensure a safe final product for the mechanical systems meanwhile, the electrical schematic is being updated and preliminary firmware testing is underway!
Washington Superbike completed the first submission to MotoStudent! This marks the first-ever submission to the competition from a team originating in the United States. The submission focuses on concept development, planning the design trade-offs, failures modes, validation plan, and more for the full ground-up prototype competing in October 2020!
Seniors from the UW Electrical & Computer Engineering department presented their capstone, the battery management system (BMS) for Washington Superbike’s conversion project, at the 2019 ENGINE Showcase. Congratulations!
At Engineering Discovery Days, Washington Superbike members got the chance to share their hard work with students, teachers, and families in Seattle’s community. The electric motorcycle conversion project was presented hopefully inspiring the next generation of engineers.
To gain familiarity and understanding with electrical vehicle design, Washington Superbike is currently working on converting a 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250R into an electric motorcycle. Our goal is to replace the powertrain of the Kawasaki with a low power, 3kW electric motor and demonstrate control of the system. Additionally, this motorcycle will serve as a test-bed for continued electronic development and mechanical components of the motorcycle may be swapped with custom designs for validation and testing purposes.
We are excited to represent the US in the international motorcycle racing & engineering MotoStudent Competition! Fun Fact: our bike number is #22!
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Our first PR event was a success! If you missed us this year make sure to stop by next year at the American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics event hosted by the Museum of Flight.
