Hybrid electric chopper is new stealth vehicle

June 30, 2010

The perception has persisted that electric and hybrid-electric vehicles could not parallel the power and the speed of combustion-engine-powered vehicles. Then along comes a gleaming, powerful, strap-yourself-in hybrid-electric chopper that turns that theory on its head. The chopper, commissioned by Schneider Electric, and designed and fabricated by none other than Orange County Choppers packs 375 HP and can exceed 150 mph.

Until recently the perception has persisted that electric and hybrid electric vehicles could not parallel the power and the speed of combustion engine-powered vehicles. Then along comes a gleaming, powerful, strap-yourself-in hybrid electric chopper that turns that theory on its head.

The chopper, commissioned by Schneider Electric and designed and fabricated by none other than Orange County Choppers of “American Chopper” fame, packs 375 HP and can exceed 150 miles per hour (MPH).(The chopper’s top speed is purposely limited to 115 MPH, but it is capable of exceeding 150 MPH. The electric motor provides 275 HP; the combustion engine adds another 100 HP for a total of 375 HP.)

Ironically, the 1,000-lb. hybrid motorcycle requires only 15 HP to travel down the highway at 50 MPH.

The green payoff? When operating in hybrid mode, the bike can get 100 to 110 miles per gallon.

Electric Green Beacon

Marc Sherman, vice president, marketing and sales enablement, North America, APC by Schneider Electric, explained what drove the electric equipment manufacturer to create the hybrid motorcycle.

“The bike is a symbol of Schneider Electric and what we are doing to help people make the most of their energy—in buildings, data centers, industrial plants, and residential homes.

“For example, just as a building has many variables that affect its energy efficiency, this bike does as well.  Similar to our approach that we recommend to our customers, the motorcycle uses the intelligence of an entire energy management platform to make the most of its energy usage.”

The bike has real-time controls and performs intuitive decision-making based on the variables it encounters, Sherman said. “The front display panel displays information real-time. Then it uses the combination power source of the hybrid engine to determine the most efficient way to power the bike through particular variables that exist. Sometimes it might be all electric powering. It might be all combustion engine powering—or some of both.

“It monitors speed, temperature, load … if it’s going up a hill, down a hill … all the variables are being digested.

“Schneider Electric and its brands—APC, Square D, Pelco, Juno—are involved in most aspects of end-user electricity consumption,” Sherman said. “Through all these individual components, Schneider Electric is building a very energy-efficient story that shows how energy flows from generation right on through usage—what we call ‘from plant to plug.’”

Some of the bike’s plant-to-plug bells and whistles are:

• Juno Lighting headlights
• Pelco front and rear cameras
• Square D switches, PLC
• APC NetShelter perforated vent
• Interactive touchscreen dashboard
• Biometric recognition starter button

Challenged With Energy Efficiency Needs

“All of our customers are challenged with how to be more energy efficient. And it’s our responsibility to go out and solve it,” Sherman added. “The problem is real. Supply, from an energy perspective, is at a near-crisis condition. Energy prices are soaring. The solution is not as straightforward as it needs to be.

“Green is used everywhere, and people are just trying to get to the heart of it, asking—how do we make sense of this for us?” Sherman said.

Sherman said the company has developed an energy management architecture called EcoStruxure that manages all the components that the energy flows through in a building. It provides the intelligence and response systems to allow the user to form real-time decisions to maximize energy usage.