While the world of EV-motorcycle OEMs moves fast, the small, agile, startups move faster. A fleet of EV two-wheelers and their makers are pulling ahead and redefining the limits of possibility across motor sports competitions – using sustainable materials and new techniques in local production. With such frenetic innovation, is it time for the big hitters to sit up and take notice?
Anton Wass, CEO of Barcelona-based Stark Future, has reason to be proud. Their rider Jack Brunell recently won the 2024 Arenacross championship by an almighty 34 points. He was sat atop the Stark Varg, and his win represents the first time an EV has outstripped ICE competitors in the heat.
“We started with Motocross, designing and manufacturing the Stark Varg, which is the first electric vehicle competing in the same class as combustion and winning,” says Wass.
Swedish for ‘strong wolf’, the Stark Varg has 30% more power than a comparable 450cc combustion engine. That’s 80HP on the Alpha version, compared to a typical dirt bike which falls within the 15-60HP range. Torque is a hefty 938Nm.
“With motocross, performance is everything. Design still matters, quality perception matters, but performance is really the main aspect. We want to build the best bike in each category,” says Wass.
Other riders such as Arnaud Tonus, also on the Stark Future team, are enthusiastic about pushing forward EVs in motorsports and in the wider industry.
“I’m thrilled to contribute to the changing industry,” said Tonus, “Both in terms of electric performance and the positive impact it has on our sport, environment, and communities.”
Stark Future has only been going since 2019, founded by Wass and Paul Soucy, recently raising $107 million of venture capital and huge investment from Royal Enfield.
“While they are thought leaders in EV technology, particularly in light-weight components and innovative solutions, we at Royal Enfield will draw on these capabilities for developing our EV platforms and will also plan to share some EV platforms in the future,” says Royal Enfield CEO, Govindarajan Balakrishnan.
Despite the 6.5Kwh battery, the entire machine weighs in at 118kg – light for an EV bike but still much heavier than ICE. For example, the lightest 450cc dirtbike, the Mountain Moto FX5, comes in at just under 60kg.
“We minimise the system weight of the battery by letting the cells have a higher share, and multi-use components,” says Wass, “For instance, making the motor package structural. A 3D pattern on the bodywork reduces the number of plastics, also saving weight.”
The frame, comprised of carbon fibre and low-density foam skid plates, weighs in at just 6kg. The motor is a mere 9kg. It is the 32kg battery that is the heaviest single component, designed on a 6 hour use between charges, enough to easily power through an MXGP heat.
“As batteries evolve, electric vehicles will become lighter than ICEs,” Wass adds. “Give it a few years, and it will be the lightweight option.”
Sophisticated settings
The dash display utilizes an android phone with 100+ ride settings. This allows a very precise fine-tuning for an array of conditions and rider weights, all in the name of experimenting with the most effective race-winning configurative. As an EV there is no gear box, which saves on weight, but also means no manual gear changes. There is also no chance of stalling, which would be catastrophic in a dead heat.
Japan’s leading hydraulics supplier, Kayaba, provides the suspension at 48mm diameter and 310mm of travel, 50 mm rear suspension unit and fully adjustable forks. As well as an emissions-free ride, Stark Future has also committed to reducing CO2 emissions in production and logistics.
“In terms of sustainability, we have two goals: one is CO2 reduction, and the other is plastic pollution production. I believe these are the two biggest environmental threats that we face today,” says Wass.
On plastic there are firm commitments, pursuing the use of biodegradable materials, particularly in areas vulnerable to wear and tear.
“We have, for instance, implemented nylon PA6 in the skid plate and chain guide,” says Wass. “These components are constantly being scratched by rocks, leaving behind traces. With our choice of materials, those traces are not harmful, they’re even considered food grade.”
The biodegradable replacements have the same technical properties and safety standards as traditional plastic.
“Plastic pollution is a major issue; we really don’t know the full extent of how it’s affecting the environment,” says Wass. “Millions if not billions of animals dying. So, I think it’s incredibly important to change that.”
The Stark Future team wanted to show unquestionably that EV technology can compete with ICE, as the high-performance option as well as what’s necessary for the clean energy transition.
“If you want to make the motorcycle industry transition to sustainable technology then you cannot offer a compromise,” says Wass.
As a highly visible competition, the win at the 2024 British Arenacross certainly spreads the message and does so to communities that may not have previously considered the benefits of EVs.
“It’s a good confirmation for everyone that it’s not just a sustainability alternative, but it actually has the possibility of being better along every single dimension, which I think is really important if you want to truly change the world,” says Wass. “Leading players really have no interest in electric because for them there’s no purpose. They’re not interested in sustainability. They just want to maintain their market share and they’re successful with ICE. So why would they change?”
It is, instead, the small, agile player, that is making waves.
“If you look at any industry that has transformed, it has rarely happened from an established player, it needs to be a disruptor coming in with a new mindset that wants to do something better,” says Wass.
Stark Future may be having an effect off the track as well, as Wass dropped several hints for a road/commuter offering at some point in the future: “Our ambition is to be the company that transforms the whole motorcycle industry,” he said.
California scheming
Ryvid CEO Dong Tran, has pushed limits by creating a faster, more streamlined, more localized production process, operating without the use of specialist machinery. This is supported by some unique design, and Ryvid’s made-in-California models have a distinct aesthetic. They comprise the Anthem, an urban commuter motorcycle, and the Outset, a scrambler with off-road capability.
“Because each part is manufactured separately with a high degree of modularity, we don’t have to finish the frame to start work on the battery, or to develop the swing arm,” says Tran. “Instead, we have a couple of teams just really running in parallel.”
This allows for rapid development cycles. Extraordinarily, Ryvid went from funding acquisition to full market-ready product with the Anthem in a mere 8 months. Four months later they put out the Outset model.
“We ended up making 15 different iterations of the frame within a span of 3 months,” says Tran. “If you were doing it in the traditional way, that would have never happened, it would take us a year to do that correctly.”
Once on California roads, the modular design also allows for troubleshooting and continuous development. According to Tran, this simplicity is key.
“With only five modules, if you want to try something out, we’re able to separate out the component that needs to be worked on,” he says, “And this goes back into continuous improvement – we get customer feedback and can rapidly respond to any issues.”
Tran spent years working for Icon in the light aerospace sector and took inspiration from the continuous design of the ultralights.
“For these aircraft, the carbon fiber chassis is also structural, and that always impressed me. It’s all bonded, there’s no rivet, and there’s no welding. You can glue them together.”
Farewell welding
To develop the concept further, he started toy company Gami, miniature model cars made from single continuous sheets of folded and scored cardboard, much like origami. This gave him the idea for metal folding at the larger scale.
“I asked, why can’t we do that for a full-size vehicle? Initially, we wanted to do a four-wheeled vehicle. After reviewing the scale of the project, we decided to go with a motorcycle first because it’s exponentially easier to get into the market,” he says.
They won $20 million of the California Competes $120 million (Go-Biz) fund, a public incentive to produce jobs locally and sustainably. Tellingly, they were up against multi-million dollar OEMs for the funding and won.
“We wanted to build locally,” says Tran. “One of our main focuses at Ryvid is wherever we sell, we want to build there.”
Short logistics chains and local employment help the regional economy and reduce CO2 emissions from freight, on top of the product being an emission-free ride.
“We took flat sheets of metal, just 4 by 8 aluminum or stainless steel, and we designed the chassis in easily bendable, flat patterns, that you could turn into a structurally sound frame,” says Tran. “We ended up producing something that’s very lightweight and very easy to manufacture without specialist equipment.”
That chassis weighs under 6kg on both models, and battery positioning helps ensure a low center of gravity.
“There’s no welding on the bike. It uses rivets just like aircraft and it uses fasteners to hold the key joints together.”
This is one of the key elements contributing to lower cost. It allows the team to bypass the expensive automatic welding equipment of larger OEMs, or of paying a costly and high-in-demand welder. Furthermore, metal welding is an inherently energy intensive process, and avoiding it saves on both environmental and energy costs.
Both Stark Future and Ryvid have some impressive accomplishments under their belts, and startups like these lay down the gauntlet to the big OEMs. This is just a small glimpse of some of the innovation going on by small EV motorcycle firms today, and larger companies would be wise to pay close attention.
