Norton Motorcycles of Great Britain is now back under Indian ownership after some shady management by its previous owners. The company has announced an interesting electric motorcycle project that promises to deliver race performance and range at the same time.
Norton, which was just rescued from bankruptcy by India’s TVS, is launching this electric project as it seeks to redesign and relaunch its 1200cc V4SV superbike, plus it will continue to work on its upcoming Commando 961 retro cafe racer.
The Zero Emission Norton (Zero Emission Norton) program will soon be launched with a grant from the British government for the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC).19 Norton promises that the motorcycles developed under the program will still look impeccably Norton, and it believes it is possible for the company to eliminate the compromise between range and performance – a compromise that still plaguing today’s electric motorcycles.
That’s a tall order – the closest thing we’ve seen to an electric tourer for mountain driving is the new Energica Experia, and that bike’s industry-leading 22.5 kWh battery is still only good for about 130 miles (208 km) on the highway. So it will be interesting to see what Norton brings to the table.
So far, Norton has recruited a group of partner companies – including Delta Cosworth (which will design the battery pack), HiSpeed Limited (motor design and manufacturing), and Formaplex Technologies (precision composites), M&I Materials (dielectric cooling oil) and INDRA ( Vehicle-to-Home Charging Technology).
The academic partner for this project will be WMG (University of Warwick), which will contribute to battery technology, modeling, and toolchain development. In fact, the group has recently been involved in a similar project with its extensive involvement in UK company Triumph’s TE-1 electric streetcar, which was demonstrated in prototype form earlier this year.
This significant capital investment is an important milestone for the brand as it marks the beginning of our electrification journey and the realization of our 10-year product plan,” said Norton CEO Dr. Robert Hentschel. …… Working with our world-class partners, we believe the Zero Emissions Norton program will eliminate the current controversy between traditional motorcycles and electric motorcycles, and in turn create the electric bike products riders desire – motorcycles that blend Norton’s uncompromising design DNA with racing performance, touring range and lightweight handling.”
