The Apex-RS is the third-generation electric superbike created by student team Electric Superbike Twente. “It is more agile, beautiful and most of all faster than ever before”, the team say.
Specs
It was designed and produced within 8 months. Despite the COVID-19 circumstances, the team still managed to complete the assembly of the Apex-RS, which is quite an achievement.
The planned races have unfortunately been cancelled, but the Apex-RS will start racing as soon as government regulations allow it. The 160 electric horsepower will take the rider up to speeds above 250 km/h.
The 13.2 kWh battery pack, made up of 495 battery cells, makes sure that the power can be delivered consistently and safely. With a weight reduction of almost 40 kg’s compared to last year’s Superbike, the team is expecting a great gain in performance.
Innovation
The team made several key innovations in the design of the Apex-RS. The gearbox attached to the electromotor has become a structural part of the frame. This required complex simulations and many iterations in the design of the gearbox. Having achieved this, a simpler and more efficient design was the result.
The safety of the battery pack has been improved through a new way of implementing the printed circuit boards into the battery pack. ‘Interconnection boards’ place directly onto the battery cells.
This eliminates a large number of cables which reduces the chance of a short circuit drastically! Next to that, the team created a low impact-resistant battery casing. Next to making improvements to the Superbike, the team were able to increase the number of companies they work with in the past year.
The team now works together with 67 proud sponsor companies to realize the Apex-RS, all very excited about the change that Electric Superbike Twente is bringing to the world of motorcycle racing.
Races
Original plans of racing in Finland, Bermuda and at Assen have unfortunately been postponed to next year. The team is busy planning races against University teams from England and Delft in the late summer. Besides that, the team hopes to participate at races on TT circuit Assen near the end of the season.
Future
The team have set themselves the goal to reach MotoGP lap times within 4 years from now. As soon as they can, the team will start setting lap times around TT Circuit Assen to see how far off they are.
It is expected that their lap times will be comparable to Moto2 times. Despite not having signed up for a tumultuous year like this year, the team is proud of what they have already achieved as a team and hope to put some fast times on the clock once they can go racing!
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