British electric sports motorcycle on sale in 6 months

British-based electric scooter company Ecolve has unveiled a prototype electric sports bike with a performance comparable with petrol-engined equivalents.

The ‘Bolt’ uses a 15kW water-cooled electric motor to achieve a potential top speed of 150mph.

The bike is expected to go on sale throughout Europe as early as May 2010.

The company currently offers a range of three electric bikes including the ‘Electro’, a retro-styled scooter marketed as an environmentally-friendly alternative to petrol scooters in town.

Electric motorcycles are coming

The Ecolve Bolt is not the only electric motorcycle on its way to market; electric sports cars like the Tesla Roadster and Dodge EV are blazing a trail for two-wheeled electric vehicles.

Forrest North, a former engineer at Tesla, is now taking orders for the Mission One (pictured right), a sports-oriented electric motorcycle that boasts a range of 150 miles and a charging time of less than three hours via a household power supply.

Quantya SA was formed in Switzerland to create a range of high-performance and efficient electric motorcycles, which includes a fully-electric enduro model called the Strada.

The bike’s top speed is limited to 43mph, but in terms of handling and torque its performance is described as on a par with petrol-powered 250cc models.