Parker Hannifin, the manufacturer of motion and control systems, is sponsoring Victory Motorcycles in the 2015 Isle of Man TT Zero Challenge on June 10. Victory Racing’s prototype electric race bikes use Parker’s Global Vehicle Motor (GVM) electric motors.

“In order to improve [Victory’s] chances of winning, we needed to focus on delivering the power density to be capable of producing up to 175 horsepower out of this compact, 8-inch-diameter-by-5-inch-long motor, while providing the efficiency to have the motor help the battery last the entire 37.73 miles of the race,” said Parker Business Development Manager Jay Schultz. “It is very challenging because this is the longest electric motorcycle race in the world. Your battery pack has to last through very high average speeds, approaching 120 miles an hour. Plus, near the end of the race, they have to go up and over a mountain to reach the finish line.”

Parker has been supplying its GVM motors for competition electric motorcycles since 2012, and lessons learned on the track have inspired Parker engineers to examine many facets of motor design, including the cooling system, the magnets and the peak torque.

“Parker’s GVM series of motors allowed us to select an ideal motor configuration in both length and diameter, and then fine-tune the winding to meet our specific performance requirements,” said Josh Katt, Victory Motorcycle Product Manager. “This level of flexibility, added to the fact that the motor can be provided as a kit for assembly into our own custom-developed housings, made the Parker an ideal fit for our racing bikes, and provides one of the most power-dense EV traction motors available.”

Source: Parker Hannifin