Electric bike breaks speed record

The Flying Banana Mk. II, an electric motorcycle produced by Lightning Motorcycles, Utah, USA, became the world’s first electric motorcycle to break the 200mph barrier when it achieved a cruising speed of 215mph this August, breaking its own best speed of 176mph set in 2010. The bike is powered by Remi Electric HVH250 electric propulsion motor and an Ener 1 lithium-ion battery pack. The battery pack gives the Flying Banana Mk II a range of more than 100 miles on highways and a combined range of 150 miles on cities / highways. One of the key goals of Lightning Motorcycles is to develop clean electric bike technology and bring it to a level that is at par with petrol-powered bikes in terms of performance. Paul Thede, a mechanical engineer from California State University who drove the Flying Banana Mk. II on its record-breaking run, also developed the suspension system for the superbike.