Lightning Electric Superbike Beats All Motorcycles At Pikes Peak

On June 30, Lightning Electric Motorcycles made history when its rider, current motorcycle record holder Carlin Dunne, completed the famous Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in 10:00.964, beating all other motorcycles — gas or electric, 82 in total — to the 14,000-foot summit. This marks the first time in a major motorsport event an electric motorcycle has beaten its gas counterparts. In fact, Dunne’s time is still within the top 10 when you include the four-wheel competitors as well.

The next closest motorcycle, Bruno Langlois aboard a Ducati Multistrada, was over 20 seconds slower than Dunne, proving both Dunne’s skill and the performance from the Lightning. What makes Dunne and Lightning’s run even more noteworthy is that the motorcycle was powered solely on clean, renewable solar energy. The Lightning SuperBike was powered with solar energy  via a SMA inverter and Trina panels which charge the EnerDel battery pack, which are later used to charge the motorcycle. 

“The win at Pikes Peak shows that superior, world-class performance can be achieved today with clean technologies.  The Lightning team is gratified to be a leader in the racing world, testing and driving technology for the future. We love the idea of utilizing the racing platform to push the limits of technology while building a foundation for future industries, ” said Richard Hatfield, founder and CEO of Lightning Motorcycle. “ We hope this milestone will encourage our colleagues,  competitors and other companies in the clean tech industry to  develop their products so that consumers will choose them because they are the best in class, and not just because they are green.”

By Troy Siahaan