We are thrilled to receive numerous media requests each day concerning our world-famous electric superbike program.  Below are some of the common media requests and our responses!  Feel free to contact us at racing@swigz.com for additional media information or to schedule an interview with Chip Yates.

Chip Yates Electric Superbike FAQ:

Updated: November 9, 2010

Q. In response to your press release that you will not compete in the TTXGP series in 2011, the TTXGP hasn't changed rules mid-season, but between seasons, doesn't FIM also change the rules a bit every year?

A. I'm sure everyone changes rules a bit, but the AMA and theFIM don't change their rules in a direction that favors a race vehicle that they themselves sell for profit and encourage people to buy in order to race in their series. There is no real precedent for a sanctioning body selling a race vehicle and then crafting the rules to exclude other vehicles that would clearly beat it. I would hope the fans can see through this and recognize the difference between what the TTXGP is trying to do and what the other legitimate race sanctioning bodies such as the AMA and the FIM do each year. In addition, even the TTXGP admits that the rule change didn't affect any current competitor except me. So again, it's hard to find a comparable rule change made by a legitimate sanctioning body that didn't affect any competitor except that it served to ban a specific competitor who was planning to enter the next season's events. Finally, for a sanctioning body to reduce the allowable vehicle weight by 110lbs, which is a 17% reduction after just one season and while teams are still scrambling to develop bikes and find sponsorship is unthinkable - this is a massive rules change for no apparent reason other than to exclude us and anyone else who wants to develop and race a proper superbike with new technology from their series to protect the current competitors, who by the way, have seemingly done nothing to improve or advance the state-of-the-art of electric vehicles. Some of these TTXGP bikes were built in college dorm rooms and are held together by duct tape and tie down straps. On the other hand, we have real engineers, who have been working nights and weekends, investing more than $167,000 of my own money and filing patents on new technology and improvements on electrical powertrains that will move the ball forward in the electrical vehicle space while simultaneously allowing us to reach out to newgroups of people to show that electrical vehicles can be awesome and efficient at the same time.

Q. In response to your press release that you will not compete in the TTXGP series in 2011, isn't 660 lbs rather heavy for a motorcycle? Wouldn't a lighter bike be more preferable to the rider?

A. A lighter bike is always desirable, but not at the expense of horsepower and performance. Even though we may be heavier than some electric bikes, our analysis shows us as being more than 10 seconds PER LAP faster than the fastest TTXGP bike. No rider would pick a lighter bike that is 10 seconds per lap slower than a heavier one that is 10 seconds per lap faster than the lighter one. 660 lbs is rather heavy, but our bikeweighs 585 lbs, which is much better.

Q. In response to your press release that you will not compete in the TTXGP series in 2011, supposedly the change is meant to broaden the field, leave one class for the teams who are chasing superbike performance, and another class at a lower cost level allowing more participants on the field. Mavizen's 2010 design would fit in the latter category and not be racing in the same class as you.

A. No bikes racing in either of the TTXGP classes can be considered "superbikes". AMA superbikes and FIM World Superbikes are real "superbikes" and make between 180 and 220 horsepower at the rear wheel. We make over 194 horsepower and 3times more torque than these top class superbikes, which makes us the only real electric "superbike" in the world at the present time. Even the TTXGP top class with a weight maximum of 550 lbs will not accommodate any legitimate "superbike" to compete, given the current level of lithium battery technology and the requirement to complete 20 to 25 miles during a race. The physics of stored energy and power make it impossible. Even our bike wouldn't be able to deliver "superbike" horsepower numbers for a20-25 mile TTXGPrace without the development of our patent pending KERS system and control algorithmthat recharges the battery pack during braking events in the race. With this new weight rule, the TTXGP has killed the possibility of anyone bringing superbike performance to their series for sure - it's simple physics.

Q. In response to your press release that you will not compete in the TTXGP series in 2011, is it important that the speed match superbike speeds or is it important that the bikes be more evenly matched? that is, don't fans want to see racing action and isn't it true that it's evenly matched bikes that produce racing action?

A. I can't speak for what fans want, but when I watch racing I like a close battle and good racing action for sure, but not at the expense of high performance. You can get close racing by putting all the TTXGP riders on tricycles and letting them pedal around the track - whoever doesn't tip over will be in the big group of riders at the finish line and the race result will be unpredictable with lots of close action. I think people want to see racing vehicles that are more extreme, faster and exciting than the vehicles they own and ride. I think people want to spectate racers who are doing better laptimes than they themselves can do at a public trackday. The TTXGP bikes are doing trackday laptimes or worseand are no more impressive than what the general public can buy and ride. Our superbike is obviously a very extreme performance bike that is being developed for the fans andto show what electric vehicles are capable of. We receive lots of e-mails from people thanking us for finally building a legitimate racebike with a legitimate electric motor and new technology. People like that we didn't just slap together stuff from an electrical catalog in order to make the TTXGP grid. Our bike is so powerful its basically unrideable. To make this beast rideable, we have had to spend months developing control software to stop it from killing me. When this bike hits the track, people who are there to witness it won't soon forget the experience.

Q. Can you provide more information on your KERS system now that you have revealed the bike at The Battery Show?

A. Yes. Following the Oct 5-7, 2010 tradeshow reveal, we can discuss more details of our patent-pending KERS system.

Our pending patents cover several designs of front wheel KERS systems. One of our mechanical KERS systems that we revealed at The Battery Show works by capturing the energy from the front wheel to use for electrical regeneration by our main UQM Powerphase 145 motor, which is normally busy driving the rear wheel. We can discuss the elements of the system that can be seen in the photos but there are certain hidden details including our KERS software that still cant be elaborated on. We can say that the process of electrical regeneration is initiated when the rider squeezes the KERS brake lever, located on the left handlebar. This level sends a signal to our MOTEC ECU, which runs a number of calculations from our KERS control software, and then outputs a regeneration command to the UQM motor controller. The UQM controller then initiates regenerative braking torque in the motor by creating an electromagnetic field in front of the spinning rotor that acts to slow the motor down and feels like front wheel braking.

The front wheel is equipped with special one-way clutches housed in custom CNC machined wheel hubs that allow the front tire to transmit energy back to the electric motor, but do not allow the electric motor to drive the front wheel; our bike is rear-wheel drive only. These clutches have the capability of transmitting more than 500 ft/lbs of braking torque from the front wheel, although we currently software limit the regeneration levels to less than that amount based on a number of factors. The clutches mate to a ring and pinion gear set located on each side of the wheel, on the front axle centerline. The pinion gears turn two counter-rotating and telescoping driveshafts that can be seen running along the outside of the Ohlins front forks.

The driveshafts share the torque load and so can be smaller diameter than if we only used one big shaft. They enter into the lower triple clamp and each has its own sprocket at the top end to drive a chain inside the hollow triple clamp. The two chains coming from either side are positioned one above the other to avoid interference and they drive an inner and outer shaft in the center of the triple clamp that rotate in opposite directions as they head up to the custom steering head in the frame of the bike. Once inside the steering head, one of the shafts turns a lower bevel gear and the shaft rotating the other direction turns an upper bevel gear. Between these counter-rotating bevel gears is an output bevel gear that exits the steering head and turns a KERS driveshaft that runs inside the frame rail of the bike. The counter-rotating driveshafts and bevel gears act to counteract torque steer felt through the handlebars.

The KERS driveshaft runs from the steering head down to a KERS gearbox located inside the frame rail around the area of the riders knee. The gearbox turns the spinning KERS driveshaft into a rotating drive sprocket, and the sprocket turns a KERS chain that runs down to the UQM electric motor shaft where it can be used to generate electricity for recharging our on-board battery pack. There are a few additional elements to this system that we cant elaborate on for confidentiality reasons but this gives a pretty clear picture how things work.

Our proprietary and patent-pending KERS control software has features that smooth out the front wheel braking, limit braking based on factors such as lean angle for safety and also based on battery pack voltage to guard against overvoltaging the pack. Our MoTeC ECU processes over 150 channels of streaming data from our UQM motor, motor controller and chassis sensors over our two on-board CAN networks running at 1Gbps and many of these channels are used to optimize the KERS system.

Our system can be coupled to the hydraulic front brake for seamless control and activation, but for our testing and first races, we have decided to split the front braking controls into a left handlebar KERS brake lever, and a right handlebar hydraulic friction brake lever to give me more control over how I trail brake into corners.

With this system on our bike at a representative track such as Laguna Seca, we can use the same size battery pack as our electric competitors, but make about twice the horsepower over the course of an entire 12-lap race. Our analysis indicates a lap-time approximately 10 seconds per lap faster than the fastest electric racebikes have recently accomplished at Laguna Seca making it a worthwhile development.

Q. Can you briefly update me with where you're at with the bike right now? Will you be unveiling a production-ready prototype in San Jose, or a technical showcase that's still some way off feasibility? Is it a racer, or something more consumer-focused?

A. Our superbike is more a technical showcase that was specifically designed to win the FIM ePower, and TTXGP electric bike racing world championships. Being an engineer myself in addition to a pro racer, I pulled together a team of the best engineers from aerospace and racing industries, and handed them an almost impossible list of requirements: (i) must deliver laptimes no slower than my AMA Pro 600cc superbike, (ii) must have the maximum practical horsepower for a motorcycle, even if todays batteries cant quite match it, (iii) must weigh less than 625 lbs total, (iv) must be awesome and exciting in order to get people to want to come watch us race and to prove that EVs can be extreme, and (v) push technology forward to advance the state of EVs with the aim of technology transfer to the mainstream. In terms of production, we have no production aspirations or profit motive aside from filing patents on our inventions. We started clean sheet with our design and approach, which is different from some others who have built electric racebikes based on platforms or scooters that they want to sell to the public. We have always been free to use any platform, components and technology that believe will contribute to the best possible performance. In terms of feasibility, our team has delivered all my design objectives and we have produced a feasible grand prix-level racebike. Although we have no aspirations for production, we plan to race this bike in 2011 and then sell it as a maximum performance testbed and license the patents to an automotive or motorcycle OEM for their EV program.

Q. What specific innovations are you fitting? Anything all-new and unique (I'm interested in the use of KERS, for a start)? What are your latest figures/targets for power and performance? And what kind of range are you getting?

A. Our superbike is the only bike we are aware of in the world that has a legitimate KERS system. Under braking, the rear wheel of a motorcycle (especially a racing motorcycle) is not able to transfer much braking force to the motor because it is so lightly loaded sometimes even off the ground. Other electric motorcycle competitors have reported not seeing any more than 1C regen from their rear wheel driving their motor under braking. We have a patent-pending front wheel KERS system that can deliver more than 10C of regen under braking, which is more than current battery technology wants to see in race conditions. So we have software limited our KERS system through a very complicated algorithm that takes all the salient variables into account and is based on our race simulations we run on candidate cells in our battery tester. For any given racetrack, we model the exact acceleration, deceleration, slope, laptimes, etc to arrive at a battery simulation torture test that we subject candidate cells to. By doing this, we have an advanced understanding of exactly how much we can slam a particular cell back and forth between high discharge and KERS cycles each lap and what the resulting impedance buildup and heat rejection requirements are. We have found that most battery suppliers understand precisely how their cells perform during steady state discharge, and most understand steady state charge performance, but not many can predict how their cells will react to differing levels of dynamic charge/discharge cycles under race conditions. Our secret sauce in the KERS area is being able to model a cell precisely and then adapt our KERS control algorithm to maximize the use of that cell without catching on fire. In addition to our KERS system, algorithms, and battery testing and modeling, we are developing an advanced race finishing software solution that ties all these factors together plus over 150 channels of data to ensure a race finish at maximum performance with very little battery capacity left over. Our latest figures are that we can extract the full 194 horsepower from our motor for the complete race distance (20 miles for TTXGP races, and 25 miles for FIM ePower races) and we can deliver the laptimes I have requested to within a margin of 2 seconds per lap. The range we are getting is set by us to complete race distance and thats it. If this were a consumer product, of course we would design in a much better range than 25 miles, but this bike is about absolute and extreme performance for race distance and nothing more.

Q. Can you tell me a little more about your control software? Presumably this is something that could be tweaked to suit different types of bike or vehicle?

A. As noted above, the two main components of our control software are the KERS control software and the race finishing algorithm. Both are being developed by our in-house, M.I.T. educated, control systems guru whos last assignment was writing the control software for an unmanned helicopter! We are intentionally designing the software to be applicable to different types of bikes including production bikes, and also to cars. This is another area where we are filing patents because the very challenging design requirements that I laid out to our team from the outset have forced us to innovate perhaps more than we expected we would have to, and so we brought in a great patent law firm to help us document everything for the future.

Q. What challenges are you facing? Does your bike feel like a conventional machine (in terms of handling, acceleration characteristics etc) or substantially different to ride? And does its powertrain allow for a complete re-think of how a bike is packaged and laid out? Are there lessons the car world could use on this, such as the use of more compact powertrain systems, different weight distribution and soforth?

A. One challenge is for sure the weight of the machine, although we have gotten that under control by the high Wh/Kg cells we are currently using and testing. The best way to describe the handling is that its like a very powerful superbike with 295 ft/lbs of torque, with a passenger riding on the back! We opted to start with a conventional frame in order to keep development costs in line, but with what we have learned to date in terms of motor and battery placement and packaging, we would definitely be able to create a completely rethought bike layout and package specifically to accommodate what we have developed for this platform. One of our sponsors, Swift Engineering, is a carbon fiber racecar and aerospace chassis builder who we think would love the chance to develop a carbon frame chassis on a ground-up redesign to encompass our technology and KERS system. An effort like this would require real funding however!

We believe that mainstream cars would benefit from our powertrain layout and KERS integration solutions as part of the larger package of technology we will have on offer next year.

The biggest challenge I have faced and continue to face is of course related to funding. I never expected to receive any outside funding since we didnt have a profit motive in the beginning (we still dont really have a profit motive although we are filing patents to enable a future licensing-based tech transfer) so I set aside my own funds. To date, weve spent USD $147,000 (as of 9/9/10) of which 10% has come from outside and the rest from me personally so Ive done better than expected. The challenge arising from self funding is two-fold: 1) I did have a chance to hire one of our M.I.T. engineers on a full-time basis, but couldnt afford to and that has substantially hindered the pace of development, and 2) the funds I had set aside to pay for travel to races, which is ridiculously expensive, have been instead used to undertake some of the advanced development that wasnt forseen when we planned the project and estimated the budget. On the technology side, the challenges have been mostly related to batteries. In May, we bought 400 Chinese cells in an attempt to make the grid of the first electric race in the USA. We always knew these wouldnt be a good fit for us, both physically and performance wise, but when they arrived significantly overweight from their specification, that put our whole bike overweight per the race rules and the organizers told us we couldnt race. We have since built a mobile trailer full of these batteries and use them for static and dyno testing. We have rightfully received some flack from fans for not making the races this year because of this and so weve had to set our sights on 2011 as our debut season.

Q. What else, of all this, could be applicable in the automotive world? Could any of your tech be easily adapted for use in a car, whether a lightweight sports vehicle (such as the Epic Vehicles Torq announced recently) or something more mainstream? Are you talking yet with any car-makers or consultancies over licensing deals, etc.?

A. We believe our front wheel KERS system is directly applicable to motorcycles and is a key missing link to getting electric motorcycles more widely accepted by the public. With our system, we are able to run the same size battery pack (11 ~ 12 kWh) as our top competitors while producing 50% more horsepower (top competitors are running between 100 and 120 horsepower). Translated to a benefit for a street motorcycle, for a given motor size, range is dramatically extended, depending on the number of braking events of course.

We believe our KERS control software is applicable to both motorcycles and mainstream cars and we expect to work with major OEMS on tech transfer. At this time, we have no interest in transferring our technology to specialty electric vehicles.

We believe our race finishing software is applicable to mainstream electric vehicles, although we cant reveal why due to patent filing restrictions.I will consider this program a success if we race the bike next year in the USA and Europe, hopefully winning the world championship for electric motorcycles, then transfer the program and technology to a major OEM for improving the performance and excitement of mainstream electric vehicles, be they cars or motorcycles.

In terms of licensing deals, we are represented by the Washington DC based firm of McKenna, Long & Aldridge, LLP, and I am also personally experienced in technology transfer. I have 7 U.S. patents, some of which were licensed for use on the Jeep Grand Cherokee platform, and I have negotiated successful deals with other automotive OEMs, automotive tier-1 suppliers and aerospace companies as well. I own a government contracting company that deals in patents and navigation technologies, and before becoming a professional racer, I was a licensing executive for Boeing for 3 years while I earned my Masters Degree in Business.

Q. Did you consider the use of technologies such as supercapacitors, KERS and energy recovery systems, or other ways to reduce reliance on battery packs?

A. During the design and feasibility phase, we considered a large number of technologies and alternatives before settling on our chosen direction that you see today. We conducted trade off analysis on supercapacitors, KERS, hydraulic launch assist, multiple electric motors, AC vs DC motors, gearbox vs. no gearbox, etc. We decided that there are different ways we could candy-coat the problems of todays batteries, but that in order to provide meaningful advances in the field of electric vehicles, we needed to focus on the basic building blocks: 1) strong and efficient motor, 2) best KERS system possible, 3) complete understanding of the batteries and through software, to push them to their absolute limit and report our findings to our battery supplier partners for the benefit of future battery products.

Q. What can you tell us about your control software and electronics?

A. We have chosen MoTeC USA as our electronics hardware provider, and we implement our proprietary software and algorithms in their Formula-1 level ECU package. We can process 30 real-time advanced maths channels and 30 user tables while running 2 CAN bus networks of 150 channels, 1 RS-232 bus and 1 RS-422 bus while simultaneously collecting 1 gig of data acquisition for off-track analysis. We also run a MicroStrain Inertia-Link AHRS (Attitude Heading and Reference System) that we use for our traction control, lean angle torque control, wheelie control and KERS control software.

Q. Have you had any sponsors sign on and why is the racing motorcycle application key to pushing EV development?

A. We have had 10 major sponsors sign on plus SWIGZ.Com our founding sponsor, and we are currently talking to several candidates to be our major sponsor (travel and logistics) as well as our battery supplier. Fortunately, we are finding the effort of convincing sponsors to help us invest in this green racing program is much easier than normal sponsorship negotiations people seem convinced this is the right way to go for electric powertrain development. Even non-motorcyclists quickly understand when we explain the acceleration effect the motorcycle racing application has on technology. Firstly, racing itself accelerates development. Secondly, the motorcycle application is perfect because it forces a precise and optimized design due to the limited space and weight constraints we cant fill up a trunk with batteries to give longer range, so we are forced to innovate, and that tension combined with the fact that were racing on a world level, will advance electric powertrains rapidly. The motorcycle application is more closely related to aerospace because of size and weight, than it is related to electric cars. That is why we hired MIT engineers from aerospace who had recently designed electrical powertrains and control systems for helicopters. Of course, the benefits of such powertrain advancement can be realized by all transportation sectors including the car guys and will make electric vehicles more palatable to the general public by extending range, efficiency and performance.

Q. What is your design target performance and if the races are lengthened to more like an AMA race of 50 miles would your performance suffer?

A. Our target is 600cc laptimes and we are at a point where our superbike can deliver the 600cc laptimes that I was capable of in the AMA to within 2 seconds a lap and this will only improve with time and testing. You are correct that if the races are lengthened to 50 miles, such laptimes would not be possible with out a significant and disruptive technology breakthrough by the battery makers. The current electric motor performance is quite good and is extremely competitive with the best gasoline powerplants on a power to weight basis. Our UQM motor makes 194 horsepower (295 ft/lbs of torque) and weighs only 110 lbs and is 11 diameter and 11 long. It's the battery technology that needs to catch up!

Q. Any more info on how your KERS system and KERS control software works?

A. Our KERS software decides how much KERS to generate on a case by case basis (corner by corner) anywhere from 5C to 7.5C, even more than 10C based on a number of real-time factors that we encounter on the racetrack. Our KERS system is actually able to deliver much more than 7.5C but we are limited by today's battery technology. As we discussed, the concept of how much KERS you can get away with sending to the batteries is an ever-changing variable dependant on many factors and one of our secret sauces is understanding this phenomenon in the strenuous confines of a world championship race.

Q. I did see your bike at Infineon in May, so it was nice to see it exists ... It's obvious a lot has changed since then.

A. It definitely exists and the bills are real! My website has been recently updated to show lots of photos - some of the patented stuff we can't show yet but we are gearing up for a big public reveal of the entire bike at The Battery Show in San Jose, Oct 5-7. We didnt have our KERS front end on at Infineon and we had the Chinese cells there, so a lot has changed indeed!

Q. I gather that since Infineon you've chosen a different battery supplier, different BMS, etc. The pack layout - I suppose the new cells (you don't name whose cells) may have a better power density and size for a better layout?

A. We are evaluating several cells from several companies under NDA so we can't say who right now, but because we are the only bike with a legitimate KERS system, the battery makers are keen to have us test their cells in our race simulation battery tester under hard discharge/charge profiles and report back the results to them. We are currently testing cells and have not made a commitment to any particular manufacturer, but its safe to say we decided not to use the Headway cells that we flew in from China except for dyno testing we have mounted them into a mobile trailer. As we all know, the Headways are a safe construction but the trade off is they lack the power density we need to take advantage of our full 194 horsepower on track. Of course the tradeoff with the more power dense cells is they can catch on fire when exposed to the level of KERS we have available to us on track. Although some makers are comfortable quoting decent charge rates, what really matters (and what they need to understand through our testing) is how the cell behaves when being slammed back and forth from high discharge states to medium charge states numerous times per lap under race conditions. We are able to simulate our exact superbike on any track at competitive laptimes and expose a cell to that scenario in the safety of our battery testing lab where we wont burn our bike to the ground if something goes wrong!

Q. Your plan involves owning patents over some of the tech you're developing in the bike?

A. I didn't start this program as a commercial venture or to make any sort of profit - I broke my pelvis in a crash in the AMA race at Topeka Kansas midway through the season last year and it gave me time to consider designing and building an electric superbike - mostly to challenge myself and to get me on a competitive ride for the chance of a world championship. However, the caliber of the people I have been lucky enough to attract to this program has been such that in the process of meeting my wild demands about performance and lap times, we started seeing patentable ideas bubble up. I spoke to my friend who runs the patent department at McKenna Long & Aldridge in Washington DC, and we put together a program to file patents on the important stuff we are doing. The bike has exceeded my initial expectations for capability and has become a really nice platform for technology development and demonstration that I could see an OEM getting interested in after I take it around the world and prove our approach out on the track. With this in mind, the patent strategy makes sense.

Q. Is there any possibility you'll have it ready to show to anybody any time this year? The official race schedule this year is almost finished so it doesn't offer much opportunity for you.

A. Yes! We have announced our full public unveiling in San Jose at The Battery Show, Oct 5-7 and other media events, track tests and events will follow.

Q. Where can I get up-to-date info on your progress?

A. I am providing updates on my Twitter account (chipyates89) and on www.chipyates.com

Q. Was your plan always to use the UQM motor? It seems obvious given that you're naming it a 194hp motor, that you're using the UQM PowerPhase 145 system?

A. Yes, we selected UQM based on an exhaustive search of AC and DC motors made in the USA and abroad, and settled on the UQM for a number of reasons, the power and reliability for the system weight chief among them. My design philosophy is to start with the motor you want, and let the batteries catch up. Each year we could upgrade our battery solution as technology advances, but there isn't a legitimate scenario where we would ever want more than 194 horsepower, which is near the limit of commercially available race tires to effectively put to the pavement. Of course MotoGP bikes make more, perhaps up to 240 horsepower, but we don't see ourselves having access to their tires and our program is aimed at advancing electric vehicle powertrain technology and getting me to the winners circle in the process, and we believe UQM is the right partner for the job and this motor in particular is the right horsepower and torque.

Q. How do you feel about the year for you?

A. Mostly I am amazed by what our extremely small, and totally self-funded team has built considering that we had nothing in January and now we have the most powerful and technically advanced electric superbike in the world. I went into this program saying that I want an electric bike that delivers the same or better gasoline bike laptimes that I was on in the AMA on my Daytona SportBike and we have achieved that, at least in the simulator. On the flip side, I have to be disapointed at missing the races this year but it certainly wasn't for a lack of trying. I paid $3,000 to the TTXGP folks to enter the USA championship and just before Infineon, in a slightly desperate act aimed at getting on the track, I spent $7600 on Chinese cells that I knew were compromised in terms of power density - when they arrived over the weight spec that ended the hope of making Infineon. Then, as our bike and KERS system developed, we became able to simulate an entire race, corner for corner, and what we learned about the demand we would be placing on the batteries made us slow down a bit and study the KERS on track effect in more detail. From what we know today, we believe that what we are asking the cells to do on our bike is doable, but just barely. That's not a bad place to be, because it puts us right on the ragged edge of technology and when we put the bike on track, we should see a race winning and possibly championship winning combination.

Q. You've no doubt been following the various electric motorcycle races. What do you think about how the field unfolded this year?

A. I have to admit to being impressed at what the other top teams have accomplished. In particular, the top electriclaptimes at Infineon and later at Laguna Seca surprised me. We believe our competition lies with MotoCzysz and Lightning, although there are other capable teams that will surely only get stronger by next season. However, our KERS allows us to run a similar battery pack as the other top teams, but because of the regeneration we experience on track, we can field the 194 horsepower motor and finish the race making that much power with the same size and weight battery pack as the other guys. Taking the FIM ePower race at Laguna Seca, while I was extremely impressed by the 1:45 or so laptimes that made pole position, our simulation puts us on more like a 1:35 for each lap of the entire race. So I'm incredibly impressed with the other teams, but I'm optimistic about our approach and our chances once we get to the track.

Q. Did you develop the frame and suspension yourself, or are you modifying / converting an existing motorcycle? What is the frame made of?

A. With so many innovation challenges on this program, we decided to use a modern Japanese superbike chassis and swingarm that we were already familiar with, but everything else is totally custom. We had to cut the entire front off of the aluminum superbike frame and do extensive custom machining and welding to accommodate our KERS system, we use custom forks and triple clamps and Ohlins USA had to build us the custom, forks and rear shock to meet our unique specifications. The wheels and hubs are totally custom made for us by Performance Machine for our KERS system, and of course all the aluminum mounts for the electric motor, controller, and all our electronics were custom designed either by us or by our sponsor Swift Engineering and were custom fabricated.

Q. What battery chemistry are you using, and what is the size of the pack (kilowatt-hours)? Whats the range and recharge time (and at what voltage do you recharge)?

A. We have not chosen a battery provider as of today (9/9/10) but in our race simulator battery tester we are evaluating an advanced test pack of lithium polymer prismatic cells given to us by a major battery supplier that is 11 kWh, 420 volts giving us the full use of our 194 horsepower for the 25 mile range of a world-level electric superbike race. For recharge, we have two scenarios. During the race, we recharge by our patent-pending KERS system that can deliver a battery-smoking 10C recharge rate, which we harness down to between 5C and 7.5C depending on the race conditions to maximize range without damaging the cells. In the pits, our Manzanita charger and BMS allow us to charge at either 110 or 220 V depending on what the track has for us to plug into. We have a selection of 3 and 4 prong adapters to be sure we can plug in at any track. Worst case is we have to use a 110 household outlet on a 15 amp breaker. We also have a second battery pack made from Chinese Headway cells that we use for dyno and static testing mounted in a mobile trailer that we can even tow behind the superbike! It is also 420 volts DC at 30 Ah but is limited in discharge current such that we turn down the power of the bike when we use this pack to around 130-150 horsepower for testing.

Q. Getting KERS in a bike has got to be a challenge! Without giving away any trade secrets before the patent is finalized, can you tell me what the challenges were and how you overcame them, and how much energy youre returning to the pack?

A. The challenge of getting a meaningful KERS system on a lightweight superbike posed a challenge that made the 3-year process of earning my Masters degree from USC seem like a breeze! It was for sure very difficult and accomplishing this feat is one of our defining features as a technology platform. With most battery suppliers advising against charging their cells more than 1 or 2C, our 10C KERS is playing in totally uncharted territory and even Fortune 500 level companies are asking us to evaluate their cells in our race simulator battery torture tester to see exactly how they perform under this level of stress. The dynamics of how batteries respond to such high KERS levels is a very complex subject that we are developing on-board algorithms to optimize. It is easy to understand a cells performance in steady-state discharge and charge conditions, but very few people completely understand the effect of slamming a cell between violent acceleration and KERS events with virtually no rest. Remember that on a racetrack, any rest that a cell gets would be in the form of coasting, which is bad for laptimes!

Q. What kind of motor are you using? Controller?

A. After an exhaustive search through the best AC motors, DC motors, the possible use of multiple motors, consideration of whether to use a gearbox or not, we selected the UQM Powerphase 145 motor and controller, which is designed and built in the USA in Colorado and is used by the military. We found UQM easy to work with and highly competent for being a modest sized technology company. It was important for us to use a rugged and proven motor and controller and it was our strong preference to select a US-based supplier. This motor is pretty awesome, making 194 horsepower and 295 ft/lbs of torque at a weight of 110 lbs. We are talking with UQM about working with our engineers on implementing some of our ideas for improving the racing qualities of this motor and they have been receptive maybe a specially-designed UQM racing motor will be seen in the future!

Q. You say the bike puts down 198 horsepower is that at the wheels or the output shaft of the motor?

A. It makes 194 horsepower at the output shaft of the motor, which revs up to 8,000 RPM. However, we do not have a transmission, only a jackshaft with a single, fixed gear ratio, so there is negligible power loss back to the rear wheel in our case.

Q. How much does the bike weigh?

A. 585 lbs ready to race.

Q. When will we see you competing?

A. We will be in testing on the dyno and on track for the remainder of 2010 and will do selected press and media events where appropriate since people are sharing in our excitement for this bike and we want to get it in front of the public whenever possible. Our plans are to race it full-time in the USA and Europe during 2011 and then work with select automotive and motorcycle OEMs on transferring this platform and our software and patents to mainstream EV and hybrid programs to support the advancement and excitement of future electric powertrains.

Q. Any plans to produce / sell the bike?

A. We have no plans to produce bikes ourselves. We developed this bike as a technology showpiece to go out and generate excitement from the public for electric vehicles while we work on winning the world championship. The manner in which we have spared no expense on developing our bike has delivered an exciting maximum performance platform for moving the ball forward in this space, we would need to partner with a mainstream OEM to commercialize and cost-reduce our solutions to make them practical for consumers. Our green, DC-based law firm of McKenna, Long & Aldridge is filing our patents to help document the advances we are making, which will facilitate a good technology transfer later next year if thats the route we chose and if we find an OEM partner we like.

Q. What was the goal with this bike you mentioned the parameters for the project (match the 600 cc lap times, etc.) but Im curious what made you get into the electric motorcycle scene in the first place.

A. I got suckered into the electric scene after I had broken my pelvis in the AMA Pro race at Heartland Park, Topeka Kansas in August 2009 and was out for the rest of the AMA season! I was enjoying competing in AMA Pro racing and FIM World Supersport racing but I missed the engineering and design component after the AMA went to a more stock rulebook to reduce racing costs for the teams. I say suckered because when the TTXGP originally announced what is now their electric racing series, they had provisions for allowing a class of bikes that could use hydrogen. The team I originally brought together was aimed at developing an internal combustion motor to burn hydrogen via direct injection and a bunch of creative trickery that we were excited to implement still very green, but not electric. Later, the TTXGP organizers realized how complex it would be to try to police the rules on emissions from burning hydrogen and they simplified their rulebook around electric only. I was initially skeptical that Id really be able to bring anything to the electric vehicle table since I was very new to EVs and battery technology. But after digging in for a month, throwing out all our hydrogen analysis and work, we started to see the beauty of electric powertrains and made a list of things we thought we could bring to the industry through our program. After we realized we might be able to deliver my requested laptimes if we really pushed the envelope, I was hooked and we started from absolute scratch in the November, 2009 timeframe.

Q. When did you start the project?

A. We threw out hat in the ring with a press release on November 7^th, 2009 after we had done some initial design studies to determine whether developing an electric superbike to deliver my requested laptimes was feasible. November 22^nd 2009 we took our rolling mock-up bike to Swift Engineering headquarters in San Clemente, CA to shoot our promotional video on this program, which aired online on December 5, 2009 (http://www.youtube.com/chipyates#p/u/1/fAJe8edsfVk) We really started building the bike in earnest starting January, 2010.

100-Word Synopsis

SWIGZ.COM Pro Racing USA, led by professional AMA and FIM superbike racer Chip Yates, will be unveiling the worlds most powerful and technically advanced zero-emissions electric superbike to the public. Features include: (194 horsepower and 295 ft/lbs of torque), (4 high-speed, on-board networks processing more than 150 channels of data), (KERS system to harvest energy lost during braking). Designed to advance the state-of-the-art in EV battery technology in order to win the 2011 world championship. Proudly Sponsored by: UQM Technologies, Ohlins USA, Yoyodyne, McKenna Long & Aldridge, LLP, Swift Engineering, MoTeC Systems USA, Dainese, SolarReserve, Manzanita Micro, and MicroStrain

Press Release #1

News Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:

racing@swigz.com

Worlds Most Powerful and Technically Advanced Electric Superbike Excluded by the TTXGP from Racing in 2011

SWIGZ.COM Pro Racing was one of the founding teams in the TTXGP series, but was not consulted on the rules change that now forbids bikes weighing over 550 lbs. SWIGZ team pro rider Chip Yates has publicly announced in numerous forums his superbike weight of 585 lbs. Although the SWIGZ team has been working hard to reduce the weight of the bike, the lack of rules stability combined with the TTXGP and Mavizen conflict of interest make the TTXGP an unattractive series for a team trying to develop an extreme performance superbike.

Not only do TTXGP organizers make and change the rules that govern electric motorcycle racing at their own discretion, they also manufacture, promote and sell their own electric motorcycle under the Mavizen brand name that is eligible for racing in their series. The Mavizen TTX02 has an advertised weight of 350 lbs, produces between 54 hp and 94 hp with its two electric motors and has not been excluded from racing under this new weight reduction rule change. The sales slogan for the Mavizen TTX02 bike is: Entering the TTXGP Just Got Simpler.

CHIP YATES: The TTXGP officials knew our bike weight and made this surprise rule change anyway. I contacted them to protest, and they could not provide a single reason why they lowered the weight and they told me that it would not affect any of their current competitors except me. We have to conclude then, that the TTXGP series is catering towards manufactured electric bikes in the scooter category putting out between 50-90 horsepower. No race fan would confuse these with a legitimate superbike, which is what we are developing to give people something to get excited about. Too many electric vehicles are slow and boring, and perpetuate the myth that electric vehicles cant be powerful and exciting. Our 194 horsepower, liquid-cooled UQM Technologies electric motor makes 295 ft/lbs of torque the instant you open the throttle and can be seen smoking its tire at www.youtube.com/chipyates

The SWIGZ.COM Team is currently engaged in discussions with numerous event organizers and sanctioning bodies to set the 2011 schedule for racing and showcasing the electric superbike in front of real race fans and electric vehicle supporters around the world. On the engineering front, dyno testing, software development, and battery pack testing is ongoing and the superbike is expected to begin track testing in December, 2010.

Electric Superbike Sponsors: SWIGZ.COM Dual Hydration System (www.swigz.com), Ohlins USA (www.ohlinsusa.com), Yoyodyne (www.yoyodyneti.com), McKenna Long & Aldridge, LLP (www.mckennalong.com), Swift Engineering (www.swiftengineering.com), MoTeC Systems USA West (www.motec.com), Dainese (www.dainese.com), SolarReserve (www.solarreserve.com), Manzanita Micro (www.manzanitamicro.com), MicroStrain (www.microstrain.com), UQM (www.uqm.com), and Performance Machine (www.performancemachine.com)

About SWIGZ.COM: Designed and built in

About Chip Yates: Before turning pro fairly late in life, Chip Yates was a Boeing executive in charge of transitioning advanced aerospace technology and patents to other industries such as automotive for racing and OEM applications. He personally holds 7 U.S. patents on automotive drivetrain and other technologies and is an engineer with a masters degree in business from USC. Chip has raced in the AMA Pro Daytona Sportbike series and the FIM World Supersport series. www.chipyates.com

Press Release #2

News Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:

racing@swigz.com

Orange County Race Team to Unveil Worlds Most Powerful and Technically Advanced Electric Roadracing Motorcycle at The Battery Show

ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A. August 27, 2010 -- SWIGZ.COM Pro Racing USA announced today that after nine months of secretive R&D, fabrication and testing, their zero-emissions electric superbike will be on full display to the public at the San Jose Convention Center, CA, USA for The Battery Show and The Battery Technology Expo, booth 2600, during October 5-7, 2010.

The unveiling of this racebike is significant to the electric vehicle (EV) industry for several reasons:

• At 194 horsepower and 295 ft/lbs of torque, it is the most powerful electric roadracing superbike in the world and represents a maximum performance development platform.
• With 4 high-speed, on-board networks processing more than 150 channels of data for its proprietary race finishing software, torque control, regenerative braking control, wheelie and traction control, it is the most technically advanced electric superbike in the world.
• Equipped with a patent-pending system to harvest energy lost during braking, it is the only electric superbike in the world with a real KERS* system and as such is designed to advance the state-of-the-art in EV battery technology and maximize vehicle efficiency.

The inventor and lead designer is American pro motorcycle racer Chip Yates, who will be on hand to greet the media and the public and explain the challenges and triumphs he and his small but capable team of aerospace and race engineers** have experienced in developing this electric powertrain and technology showcase vehicle from scratch.

*KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System)

** Aerospace engineer Ben Ingram (MIT), Electrical engineer Robert Ussery (Georgia Tech), Race engineer Chris Norris (Swift Engineering), Race engineer James Nero (MoTeC)

The Battery Show Websites: www.thebatteryshow.com and www.batterytechexpo.com

Electric Superbike Sponsors: SWIGZ.COM Dual Hydration System (www.swigz.com), Ohlins USA (www.ohlinsusa.com), Yoyodyne (www.yoyodyneti.com), McKenna Long & Aldridge, LLP (www.mckennalong.com), Swift Engineering (www.swiftengineering.com), MoTeC Systems USA West (www.motec.com), Dainese (www.dainese.com), SolarReserve (www.solarreserve.com), Manzanita Micro (www.manzanitamicro.com), MicroStrain (www.microstrain.com), and UQM (www.uqm.com).

About SWIGZ.COM: Designed and built in Orange County, California, SWIGZ is the worlds first dual hydration sports bottle allowing athletes to carry two drinks of their choice in a single bottle during workouts. SWIGZ sports bottles can be purchased at www.swigz.com.

About Chip Yates: Before turning pro fairly late in life, Chip Yates was a Boeing executive in charge of transitioning advanced aerospace technology and patents to other industries such as automotive for racing and OEM applications. He personally holds 7 U.S. patents on automotive drivetrain and other technologies and is an engineer with a masters degree in business from USC. Chip has raced in the AMA Pro Daytona Sportbike series and the FIM World Supersport series. www.chipyates.com

Press Release #3

THE WORLDS MOST TECHNICALLY ADVANCED ELECTRIC SUPERBIKE TO BE UNVEILED AT THE SAN JOSE BATTERY SHOW IN OCTOBER

Chip Yates, the American bike racer and engineering guru, is to officially debut his awesome electric superbike at The Battery Show, which takes place at the San Jose Convention Center, California on October 5^th to 7^th, 2010.

The superbike, which will compete in next years FIM ePower and TTXGP Championships for electric motorcycles, has pushed the boundaries of electric vehicle engineering to new heights. Although a pure race bike, major OEMs and the wider EV industry are eager to see the bike in detail to fully understand some of the cutting edge technology that Yates and his Swigz.com Pro Racing team have developed. Having created the bike in complete secrecy, with 194 horsepower and 295 ft/lbs of torque, the motorcycle is easily the most powerful electric superbike in the world and represents a seismic advancement in any previously seen technology.

Yates says of the project: Developing a bike such as this is a major undertaking and we have had to push the boundaries of what the industry has so far been able to achieve. Unlike a car, a bike cannot simply take numerous high capacity batteries on board to improve performance and range, so we have had to harness highly advanced technology, including a bespoke KERS System (Kinetic Energy Recovery System), to make the bike what it is. The EV industry is looking at this bike with interest, and is increasingly looking to us for consultancy on other EV projects.

Although images of the bike have been issued in advance of the show, the team will unveil details of its highly secretive KERS system at the show, shortly after certain protective patents have been registered.

James Reader, the shows founder, says: Its an absolute privilege to have Chip and his team at the show. Showcasing this kind of ground-breaking technology is exactly what the show is all about, and the presence of the bike will be an enormous bonus to the attending press and visitors.

Visitors can visit the Swigz.com Pro Racing team at booth 2600, and the Chip Yates himself will be on hand to greet people and explain the technology and highlight the challenges and his team of aerospace and race engineers have overcome during the development process.

For more information or to register for a press pass, please visit: http://www.thebatteryshow.com/press_reg.php

For information on the Swigz superbike, please visit: www.chipyates.com

Ends

For press information, please contact: Peter Haynes, Torque PRTel +44 (0) 1306 871338

: +44 (0) 7738 883259Email: peter@torquepr.co.uk

About Smarter Shows

Smarter Shows is a fresh, new company in the world of highly focused exhibitions and conferences. Created to deliver the very best return on investment for exhibitors and visitors alike, the company offers a smarter approach to face-to-face business, combining invaluable meeting time between customers and their supply chains with added benefits including sophisticated but simple-to-use pre-show networking technologies and onsite meeting scheduling. At Smarter Shows we recognise the need to justify every cent spent on marketing and enhancing business reach.

Smarter Shows is a truly 21st-century exhibition organizer, owned and supported by some of the most respected people in the exhibitions business; the founders have around 50 years combined industry experience to draw on.

We are happy to answer media requests for interviews and appearances.  Contact racing@swigz.com