EVA Track T-800CDI diesel motorcycle launched, equipped with fortwo engine from smart
Click above for a high-res image gallery of the EVA Track-T800CDI diesel motorcycle
Remember the EVA Track-T800CDI Diesel motorcycle? It turns out that the machine does not feature 2-wheel drive (it may be offered in the future) as we had previously believed, but that hasn't dampened our interest in the machine after reading that it's powered by a 45-horsepower 3 cylinder diesel engine taken from the smart fortwo in Europe. More importantly, the mill's 81 lb-ft of torque, funneled through a CVT transmission, should keep things moving nicely under just about any set of circumstances.
Best of all, the unique drivetrain manages an impressive 112 miles per gallon at 55 miles per hour. Unfortunately, it's not currently certified for use with biodiesel. The Daimler-built engine is held in a custom tubular steel trellis frame and supported by top-shelf WP suspenders front and rear. Sales have already begun in The Netherlands and will filter to other European countries in 2010. U.S. and Canadian sales may begin sometime in 2010, depending on a number of factors.
Gallery: EVA Track diesel motorcycle
[Source: Hell For Leather]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dave 7:15PM (3/13/2009)
Wow - what a beautiful bike. Shaft drive and all. I want one.
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scammer-killer 4:57PM (3/14/2009)
agreed, Wow. That looks brilliant and I'd definitely rock one for that kind of power and 112mpg's.
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peet 9:01PM (3/13/2009)
yep, i'd be all over this one in a street configuration. I'd like to see some electric bike manufacturers use CVT's, instead of limiting top speed and/or range with a fixed gear. Good show, EVA
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DasBoese 10:46PM (3/13/2009)
You won't see a CVT on an electric bike because it's unnecessary. The reasoning behind mating CVTs to internal combustion engines is to keep the engine operating in its powerband, but you don't need to worry about that with electric motors. All it would do is add friction losses, and for EVs you want to keep those as low as possible.
Peter 11:15PM (3/13/2009)
I'd rather have a slight friction loss and an increased top speed. Most attainable e-bikes I've seen are limited to just under highway speed at their very highest. With torque available everywhere in the rpm range save for the very top (where most riders like to be) a higher gearing is a necessity, in whichever form it takes, CVT or otherwise.
I'm still extremely curious to find out how well the Diesel powered bike and its CVT perform in the real world. Quite a novel combination, I say.
DasBoese 12:35AM (3/14/2009)
You really need to stop thinking of electric motors like ICEs.
You can change the gearing ratio for higher top speed, yes, but you'll accelerate slower. Please understand that a CVT can't change that, -precisely- because of the constant torque nature of electric motors. It can't make your motor more powerful than it is.
The limited top speed of current electric bikes is a trade-off between performance, range and cost. No free lunch.
DasBoese 11:03PM (3/13/2009)
Those smart engines have been used for (bio)diesel conversions of existing bikes for a while now, so nothing really new here except the CVT.
I don't think using car engines is the right way, but I can understand it from a business standpoint. Developing an engine of your own is expensive, especially with today's tough emissions standards.
That aside it does look good and I hope we'll see more diesel bikes.
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gulags 5:16AM (3/14/2009)
In all fairness, this isn't a bike using a car engine; the smart happens to be a car using a bike engine.
bruce 4:14PM (3/14/2009)
That round black thing at the bottom of the engine... is that the oil pan? It looks awfully exposed and vulnerable. (Ask anyone who's ever had a rock bash in the aluminum oil pan on a VW diesel.)
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SASPeter 9:38PM (3/14/2009)
112mpg! How much better might it be with an enclosed aerodynamic body? I've been thinking that the ideal personal transport would borrow the mechanicals from a diesel Smart as was done here and put them in a body that looks like "John Ewan's Recliner" motorcycle: http://www.voidstar.com/bff/ewan.html (I'd want to bring the heater and air-conditioner from the Smart too - I have no interest in being exposed to the elements for most of the year.) In fact, the Smart engine is more powerful than it needs to be for a 1-person vehicle and it would be nice if it were physically smaller so if it could be reworked as a 2-cyclinder, so much the better.
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