What Was The First Ever Electric Motorcycle?
In the world of cars, a transition from petrol or diesel-powered cars to more environmentally friendly electric cars is well underway, and a similar process is being seen with the vehicles that are taken to a motorcycle driving school.
However, in the 1970s, a pioneering bike engineer made the first ever production electric motorcycle, managed to make history with it and almost managed to change the future until factors well out of his control changed.
In 1973, a major oil crisis rocked the western automotive world, leading to a transition towards smaller cars and an era in American manufacturing known as the malaise era.
During this time a lot of electric vehicle manufacturers produced small, low-powered electric vehicles designed for small commutes, and Mike Corbin worked on something similar for the world of motorcycles, although his ambitions were far greater than a slow urban runaround.
Corbin-Gentry, his production company, produced its first electric bike in 1972. The XLP-1, known as the City Bike, was a relatively modest vehicle, with a top speed of roughly 30mph, a range of around 40 miles and batteries that could last 6000 miles before they needed replacing.
However, he had ambitions to improve his bikes quickly, creating his Magnificent Electrical Machine and becoming the first electric-powered vehicle to travel over 100mph on the legendary Bonneville Salt Flats, home to many of the world’s land speed records.
However, in collaboration with battery maker Yardney Electric, he would then create Quicksilver, a bike that set a land speed record for an electric bike at 171mph, a record that stood for 38 years.
The more modest XLP-1 also completed a staggering feat itself, climbing Mount Washington twice on one charge.
However, by the time the bikes were ready for more than limited production the oil crisis had ended and petrol was more affordable again. But his legacy lives on in the more modern lithium-ion powered electric bikes of today.
