Why the MotoCzysz E1pc is a dead cert to win, but makes nothing like 200bhp

MotoCzysz’s ‘200bhp’ E1pc will undoubtedly win the 2011 TT Zero race barring mishap, but its 142.8mph top speed tells a different story to its press bumf, its practice performance reveals. The speed, recorded along Sulby Straight, reveals a motor putting out a peak of around 80bhp, rather than the 200bhp regularly mentioned in connection with its D1-11 VDR D1g1tal Dr1ve. 80bhp is all you need to hit 142-ish on a sportsbike like the E1pc.

Depending on how much juice was left at lap’s end MotoCzysz will no doubt be able to turn up the wick a bit, but whether it can discharge 200bhp’s-worth of juice for more than a moment, controllers handle it without melting and battery capacity render its theoretical power useable in a race rather than a dyno run is the far side of doubtful. If it really did have 200bhp it could actually play with it should be clocking 180mph+ easy. Perhaps more worrying for the spectacle is the fact the second-fastest electric TT competitor appears to be boasting around 30bhp, as revealed by Kingston University’s 96.1mph Sulby Straight peak.

Having said that, none of this should take away from the incredible achievement represented by 2011’s E1pc. With its carbon chassis, fully inboard suspension front and rear, proprietary liquid-cooled motor, superb engineering and big(-ish) money sponsors it’s displaying a rate of evolution that’s staggering. It’s just the risk of fostering a confidence crash in electric bikes, by using counterfeit universal-currency like ‘200bhp’, that’s a concern.