Electric Classic Cars of England has taken the venerable
Royal Enfield Bullet 500 and given it a modern charge. Dumping the 500 cc,
air-cooled, single cylinder mill with DNA going back to the 1940s, Electric
Chassis Cars has retro-fitted a hub-mount electric motor in its place.
The now out of production, the Royal
Enfield Classic 500 now forms the basis of this electric motorcycle (e-bike),
dubbed the “Photon”. A liquid-cooled a 13 kW electric motor is mounted directly
into the rear wheel, negating the use of a chain or belt in the driveline.
However, no power figures have been
released by Electric Classic car but some performance numbers have been
revealed. From Electric Classic Cars, the Photon does the 50 km/h to 80km/h
roll-on in about six seconds, while the top speed is said to be over 112 km/h. While
not being numbers to blow up the skirt of the average sports bike rider, the
performance figures of the Photon are actually close to the standard Bullet
powered by petrol. This includes a range of 128 to 160 km when ridden at
between 80 to 96 km/h, quite typical road speeds for a Royal Enfield Bullet.
Weighing in at about 200 kg, Electric
Classic Cars says the 2.5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack in the Photon goes to
full charge in about 90 minutes using the onboard 7 kW charger. 3D-printed
panels shroud the battery pack and a custom rear sub-frame provides additional
support.
Running gear from the Royal Enfield
Classic 500 is retained, including the 37 mm diameter telescopic forks in front
and twin shock absorbers at the back. Braking is done with a single 280 mm disc
on the front wheel with four-piston calliper while the rear uses a 240 mm
diameter disc. Lighting has been upgraded to LED units throughout, including
the multi-element headlight and turn signals. As for pricing, Electric Classic
Cars is not a volume manufacturer and builds bespoke electric vehicles to order
but a price of 20,000 pounds sterling has been published
