Filed under: EV/Plug-in, On Two Wheels, USA



People have been making the North American transcontinental trip from sea-to-shining-sea ever since Lewis and Clark cleared the first path to the Pacific back in 1806. The journey has been managed on horseback, covered wagons, trains, planes and automobiles. Now, it's been done by electric motorcycles. Twice.

Last week, both the Moto Electra Racing expedition and Terry Hershner's solo effort traveled the length of the Interstate 10 - in opposite directions - to view both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans within the span of a few days. With the ultimate goal of finishing first, and secondarily, fast enough to set an enduring record, the race was on.
Each team took decidedly different approaches. Moto Electra towed a generator behind its chase vehicle to make up for the lack of charging infrastructure and keep the classic-looking Norton replica well fed. Hershner, on the other hand, took more of a hunter-gatherer approach, harvesting electrons for his streamlined 2012 Zero S from whatever source he could find, typically RV parks and charging stations.

This gave the Moto Electra guys an obvious advantage, since there was no need to track down charging stations that might be occupied, or worse, out of service. Still, out on the road, anything can happen and there could be no guarantee of success.Continue reading Crossing the continent: electric motorcycles race across America

Crossing the continent: electric motorcycles race across America originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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