WMC300FR - Brit-designed hybrid police three-wheeler
Earlier this year UK-based White Motorcycle Concepts made headlines with its WMC250EV electric land speed record bike. Now the company has revealed its first production model in the form of the WMC300FR - a very different proposition that carries some of the same technology.
The WMC300FR is leagues away from the 250 mph-plus electric land speed record bike, designed to demonstrate that the White Motorcycle Concept's patented aerodynamic ideas will help at real-world speeds. Like the record challenger, the WMC300FR features the company's 'Venturi Duct' air channel, a hole bored straight through the centre of the bike and exiting in the tail to reduce frontal area and wind resistance, but instead of being a money-no-object, clean-sheet design, it's a modified version of Yamaha's Tricity 300 three-wheeled scooter.
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| UK based White Motorcycle Concepts |
Founded by engineer Rob White, White Motorcycle Concepts is targeting police and other first responders as potential customers for the machine. The Tricity was chosen as the basis because its three-wheeled layout lends itself to the central air channel. Air running between the front wheels is channelled into the Venturi Duct, which splits into two inside the bike, a smaller channel feeding the repositioned radiator while the larger one allows air straight out of the back. As a single-seat machine, the fuel tank is moved into the box where the pillion seat would normally be, and above it sit two 56V batteries driving a 5 kW electric motor that works alongside the stock Yamaha's 28 hp, 292 cc single to make the WMC300FR into a hybrid.
The idea is that the electric motor takes much of the strain at low speeds, boosting acceleration and improving fuel economy. At higher speeds the improved aerodynamics take over, again cutting the amount of fuel used. Combined, the two technologies are claimed to reduce carbon emissions by 50% compared to conventional bikes and scooters of similar performance. As a three-wheeler, with front wheels set far enough apart to be registered as such, the bike can also be ridden by car licence holders.
The WMC300FR already has support from the Northamptonshire Police (the county where WMC is headquartered), which has been involved in the project since an early stage.
Rob White said: "We were encouraged by the great reception the launch of our WMC250EV high-speed demonstrator and the high level of interest that the project has subsequently gained. Whilst our concept in its most extreme form will help us go faster, its real-world application is all about improving range and reducing down time - major considerations in the electric vehicle industry at present.
"As the recent COP26 summit highlighted, we are still at the beginning of a revolution in aggressive carbon reduction and this global shift in thinking presents a unique opportunity to think radically about motorcycle design, finding the most efficient and cleanest way to power the future of transport. I am delighted to reveal our first product, the WMC300FR, which we have developed specifically for the first responder market. As well as the duct, there are a whole host of innovative features that mean the motorcycle reduces CO2 by 50%. For us this is just the starting point and we will continue to innovate to accelerate the decarbonisation of the automotive sector."
