“The shape of the battery has to be such that you can lean the bike to a reasonable angle, so within the battery are eight modules and they are slightly different sizes to fit into the motorcycle, get the centre of gravity in the right place and avoid the battery pack going into the ground plane when the bike is leaned over.”
“We’ve learned a lot about doing simulation work on the performance of EVs and getting that balance between battery size, motor size and performance,” Sargent continues.
“Heat management has been absolutely essential to maintain performance and range. “There are two separate cooling circuits, one for the battery with two individual radiators, two fans and a coolant pump and there’s a separate cooling circuit for the motor and inverter with its own separate radiator.”
Otherwise, Williams was in familiar territory with the lithium ion battery chemistry which is nickel manganese cobalt (NMC), as used in its Formula E batteries and which is also popular with manufacturers of anything from from power tools to powertrains. The eight modules are made up using Samsung 2170 cylindrical cells, each one resembling an overgrown AA battery. The power pack is a stressed member of the motorcycle structure, the aim being to bring the stiffness of the chassis close to that of the Speed Triple.