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Fred Spaven, a PhD student from UCL Mechanical Engineering, completed the Edinburgh Trial, a historic motoring event known for its tough off-road sections, for the second time at the weekend, using the machine that he designed and built as part of his doctoral project. The bike is built around a Royal Enfield Bullet frame with an 8.5kWh battery and a 24kW motor (current limited to 16kW by the battery).

He set off from near the village of Buxton in the Peak District on Friday 27 September at 23:00, riding through the night and the next day to finish in the same spot around 18 hours later, after 183 miles of challenging terrain and five stops to recharge.

Mr Spaven, who hails from the village of East Heslerton in North Yorkshire, said: 鈥淭he Edinburgh Trial is known as 鈥榯he tough one鈥� and with good reason. One in six starters don鈥檛 make it to the finish line. It is often steep and winding with uneven terrain, which is even harder to navigate in the dark. Mercifully it was dry so didn鈥檛 have to deflate my tires, which improves your grip but makes the bike less efficient.

鈥淥verall the bike performed really well, it handled everything the course threw at it and only needed five recharges. I could鈥檝e probably done it on fewer but played it safe, in case I found myself running low on power too far from a recharge point.

鈥淚 arrived later than I wanted to but was by no means the last bike to finish. I also managed to get up Litton Slack without stopping, a climb I鈥檝e never managed before on a petrol or electric bike. It shows the potential of the bike as a replacement for petrol models currently in heavy use around the world.鈥�

Mr Spaven鈥檚 second success听in the Edinburgh Trial follows his achievement at Easter of becoming the first person to complete the 308-mile Land鈥檚 End Trial, which runs from Somerset to Cornwall, using an electric vehicle. He needed three full recharges to complete the circuit.

He is the first person to complete both trials on an electric vehicle of any kind. The trials are run by the Motor Cycling Club (MCC), have been used to test the reliability of motor vehicles for over a century.

The motorbike is the culmination of a project to create a vehicle that could replace petrol motorbikes in areas of the world where they are relied upon heavily for transportation, such as parts of Africa, South America and South-East Asia.

Although road vehicle electrification is being rolled out in wealthier nations, many areas of the globe rely on cheap, lightweight vehicles operating on roads that vary from poor to non-existent. Electrification of lightweight vehicles such as motorcycles is more difficult than heavy electric cars, but they also offer opportunities in terms of energy efficiency, cost effectiveness and simpler recharging infrastructure.

Mr Spaven said: 鈥淢y background is academic research and classic vehicle restoration. A few years ago, when I started to understand the gravity of the climate crisis, I decided the best thing I could do was build myself an electric classic motorcycle.

鈥淚t鈥檚 only once you start building a vehicle that you start to see ways to improve it and the more interesting the challenge becomes. This project has got me to think about everything from ergonomics to aerodynamics to engine design to try and reduce weight and increase range as much as possible, factors which haven鈥檛 been as crucial in petrol motorbike design.

鈥淢otorbikes are a challenge because you have a maximum weight of around 200 kilograms, which is what a person can reasonably handle. Electric cars can weigh ten times that.鈥�

Mr Spaven鈥檚 work on the prototype electric motorbike continues, with the next milestone the completion of a bespoke motor to replace the off-the-shelf model being used currently, which has 60Nm of torque. The aim is to increase torque to 100Nm to further improve the performance of the bike and put it through its paces at next year鈥檚 Land鈥檚 End Trial.

Dr Mehdi Baghdadi, Mr Spaven鈥檚 PhD supervisor from UCL Mechanical Engineering, said: 鈥淭he successful completion of the Edinburgh and Land鈥檚 End Trials with our electric motorbike marks a milestone in sustainable transport. This achievement demonstrates the viability of electric motorcycles in demanding conditions and their potential to replace petrol-powered vehicles, particularly in regions where lightweight, affordable transport is essential.

鈥淥vercoming challenges such as weight, range, and charging infrastructure, this prototype paves the way for cleaner, more efficient transportation solutions. The global impact of such advancements is significant, offering a path towards reducing reliance on fossil fuels and promoting greener transport systems worldwide.鈥�

Mr Spaven has also co-founded a spin-out company, Motorcargo, to build electric cargo vehicles with the load-moving capabilities of a van with the size and economy advantages of smaller vehicles.

Links

• UCL Mechanical Engineering
• UCL Faculty of Engineering

Image

• Fred Spaven tackles Litton Slack in the Peak District.听Credit: Jonathan Bentman.

Media contact听

Dr Matt Midgley

E: m.midgley [at] ucl.ac.uk