Delfast DENPR electric sets a new record for their electric motorcycle.
Delfast does it again with another record. The Ukraine based company set an electric speed record at Bonneville Speed Week 2021. This feat was achieved with an electric customized version of a DNEPR motorcycle – Delfast Dnepr Electric. The DNEPR brand has a cult following in the United States, but this record setting motorcycle is a great presentation of what electric power can do with any frame.
Back in 2017, Delfast set the Guinness World record for the greatest distance (228 miles/366 Km) traveled by its Prime electric bike on a single battery charge. With the same technology applied to its current TOP 3.0 electric bike model.
The company has acquired the full DNEPR trademark rights in 2021, making technological development and designs of DNEPR the intellectual property of Delfast in late July this year. Now, Delfast sets out to create an electric version of the Ukrainian DNEPR motorcycle.
The engineering
The DNEPR motorcycle has its history in the M-72 model built by the Soviet Union, and the team of engineers at Delfast swapped the combustion engine of the classic DNEPR motorbike with a powerful EMRAX-228 synchronous electric motor. With only 12 kg of weight, it produces 50 kW, or 68 HP and pushes 220 Nm of torque. Packed with a 12kWh – 800 V battery, with a maximum output of 200A.
The motor selection, is an Axial flux motor, which we recently discussed as really leading the way in power output ratio to weight, but an interesting fact we could easily spot is the motor and drive position and angle. Instead of a traditional inline mount, the motor seems to be using a drive shaft and a mounting position of 90° offset. This is an interesting, unconventional choice. A similar mothed was recently seen in a patent that was filed by BMW for a drive shaft.
Taking on the challenge of the speed record at Bonneville Speed Week 2021 was the perfect scenario for the Delfast team to test the capabilities of the DNEPR electric prototype. Racing at 107.2 mph in a motorcycle category “A” Omega, the Delfast Dnepr Electric Motorcycle set a new personal speed record. The company, now owning the full rights for the brand, are positioning to a possible launch of a DNEPR electric model.
The pilot of the Delfast prototype was Serhii Malyk, a Ukrainian professional racer. He is a multi-champion with a track record of winnings at Bonneville Salt Flats in 2017 and 2018. His most recent feat shattered his previous record set in 2018, which stood at 104.78 mph.
The TOP 3.0 E-Bike:
TOP 3.0 is an e-bike running on a Patented reinforced, high tensile steel. The hub motor by QS outputs 3kW of nominal power, and up to 6kW peak reaching 182N.m torque. The battery pack uses LG 3200mAh cells, 72V 48Ah. A smart BMS for 100A and 72V 60A controller, allows it a high lifecycle, and improved – record setting – range.
Source: Delfast, Autoevolution