A team of students from the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands is undertaking a round-the-world trip on electric motorbikes equipped with vehicle communication technology from Adelaide-based Cohda Wireless.
Two of the student-built motorbikes on the around-the-world odyssey by 23 students have Cohda MK5 On-Board Units which enable V2X (vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure) communications.
As well as monitoring motorbike performance during the journey, Cohda plans to demonstrate how V2X systems can improve vehicle safety and traffic efficiency in cities with V2X infrastructure installed.
The students plan to cover 26,000 kilometres in 80 days.
{loadposition peter}The STORM World Tour began in Eindhoven last Sunday, starting a route that circumnavigates the northern hemisphere, leaving Europe via Central Asia and then crossing North America before returning to Eindhoven on 2 November.
Each motorbike has a top speed of 160 km/h and can travel 380 kilometres before requiring a recharge. The student-designed batteries — 24 separate cartridges that can store as much as 28.5 kWh energy — can be replaced by a fully charged battery pack within seven minutes.
Each day, the students will re-charge batteries from the local power grid at companies, universities or homes along the route. The team will also take part in events that show the potential of electric mobility.
Cohda Wireless vice-president of business development Bernd Luebben said Cohda is supplying MK5 On-Board Units for the support vehicles as well as the motorcycles.
“Cohda’s MK5 On-Board Units allow real-time communication to ensure the motorbikes perform according to design and meet this demanding schedule. We also plan to support V2X demonstrations in cities such as Shanghai where we have V2X units installed.”
To follow the STORM World Tour live on its 80-day journey click here.