Cleantech Investor

First published in Cleantech magazine Issue 4 2011. Copyright Cleantech Investor Ltd.

by Anne McIvor

The Isle of Man has always been a pioneer in the automotive space – especially in terms of motorbikes. The island has hosted the TT Races for over 100 years. I was invited to visit the island during TT week in June this year and, in preparation for the trip, I caught some of the TV coverage during the run-up to the event. This included a fascinating documentary by retired sports commentator Murray Walker. Murray Walker’s father competed in the Isle of Man TT so he has been attending the event annually for most of his life. Even he wasn’t around, however, when the first bikes competed on the now world famous Mountain Course – which celebrated its centenary this year.

On top of the usual corporate entertainment, my Isle of Man Government hosts organised a tour of the Mountain Course. As we drove around the 37.75 mile circuit on the evening before the TT Zero race, it became clear why the bikes participating in this new event (this is its third year) are expected to do only one lap. It’s a tough drive – even in a comfortable car with an internal combustion engine!

The Murray Walker documentary had informed me that most IOM TT participants prior to the 1950s rode British bikes, such as Nortons, or other European models. Things changed when the Japanese manufacturers such as Suzuki, Honda and Yamaha entered the game.

There was a Japanese contender for the first time this year amongst the zero emission battery electric bikes participating in the TT Zero: the Team Prozza bike ridden by Yoshinari Matsushita, which finished in fifth place.

The winner of the TT Zero 2011 was a US bike, the Segway MotoCzysz E1PC, driven by Michael Rutter. This was the second victory in a row for the MotoCzysz team; the 2010 race winner was Mark Miller, on the same model, who came in second this year. Third place in this year’s event went to George Spence, riding the Ecotricity Kingston ION HORSE 2011, and Allan Brew on the MIT EVT BMW came in fourth.

Back in 1957, the first bike to achieve an average speed of 100 mph – a ‘ton’ – around the Mountain Course was a Gilera, ridden by Bob McIntyre. The Isle of Man Government has offered a £10,000 prize for the first TT Zero entrant to exceed the 100 mph average speed. A 100 mph lap around the full Mountain Course takes 22 minutes and 38.388 seconds. Rutter was just a fraction slower, averaging a speed of 99.604 mph.

Given that it took 50 years for an internal combustion engine bike to achieve the ’ton’, it’s pretty impressive to see an electric bike get so close in the early years of the TT Zero. We can expect great strides in performance over coming years as the technology continues to develop.

As electric vehicle technology moves ahead, the Isle of Man plans to position itself as an innovator in the field and to attract companies active in the EV space to locate in the island. Offering attractive tax incentives and benefits to companies which are strong in intellectual property, the island has become something of a magnet for technology companies. Cleantech – and especially electric vehicles – is a particular focus for the Government.

During my trip, the Isle of Man Department of Economic Development hosted presentations, both from local companies and from companies based elsewhere but with affiliations to the island. These included Bladon Jets, which has developed a mini jet turbine engine for use as a range extender in electric vehicles – and Bladon Jets’ partner for its hybrid electric vehicle project, Jaguar Land Rover. All of the EV experts visiting the island were keen to learn from the bikes. The annual TT Zero looks set to become a forum for tracking innovations in the EV industry and experimenting with new ideas. We’re unlikely to see jet turbine range extenders from the Isle of Man in Formula 1 cars any time soon – but Murray Walker reportedly showed a keen interest in the Bladon Jets mini turbine over breakfast at the Mount Murray hotel!