The Electric Vehicle (EV) revolution is a silent one, in many respects. New energy vehicles, powered by electricity, roam the streets without sound. But more so, the majority of them are designed in small and dedicated garages, distant from the globally operating traditional car-OEMs, without humongous global marketing budgets, lacking an established ecosystem where consumer, producer and supply chain lock them.
The revolution is surely silent in the Netherlands. Year after year, student teams at various Dutch universities are creating award-winning electric cars and motorcycles; research institutes are generating intelligent solutions for mobility and safety; industry is creating solutions that have put the Netherlands at the forefront of car connectivity and Intelligent Traffic System solutions. One example that exemplifies the potential of this complete value chain is Stella Lux: a solar-powered Electric family car that may drive more than 1500 km on a single charge. It has been declared road-legal by the European road authorities and by that it entered a “beyond concept” stage. The fact that no-one has started to move this car towards production is indicative for the silence. Surely one needs a lot of patience to move EV automotive into a truly sustainable direction, even when the solutions on how to do it are presented on a silver platter.
Luckily, revolutionary solutions keep coming out of the Netherlands. This year, an electric motorcycle produced by STORM Eindhoven is going to see the light, and is scheduled to travel around the Northern hemisphere within 80 days. Like Stella Lux, the motorcycle is conceived and built by a team of students from the Eindhoven University of Technology, and supported by a broad network of local and international organizations in the high-tech (semiconductor) and automotive sectors. And like Stella Lux, China is attractive for STORM as well. STORM actually aims to cross China from west to east this summer, visiting numerous cities, where the team will organize numerous events in order to inform as many people as possible about the benefits and potential of electric driving.
The STORM motorcycle has been designed to be a comfortable touring bike, that drives up to 380 km on one full charge. In order to make electric mobility more approachable, the STORM team aims at standardizing and accelerating battery swap systems. One key advantage is that the battery system is modular, and the number of battery modules for each ride can be adjusted to the expected capacity needed. As a result, due to weight reduction on short trips, the motorcycle uses less energy. And, once an industry standard has been set, the ownership, management, charging and innovation within battery systems will be independent of the EV-owner.
It is expected that STORM will gather a lot of attention during the upcoming world tour. The Holland Innovation Network appreciates the support from everyone that contributes to the success of STORM in China. China’s personal transportation sector is still growing, and the Chinese EV sector may have globally the greatest potential. Once EV innovation is unfolding itself in China, the EV revolution will surely become a not-so-silent one. STORM, the most recent ambassador for excellency in the Dutch EV innovation sector, will hopefully inspire to speed up these developments in China.
More info can be found on the website of STORM.
STORM is also on WeChat:
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Very interesting!