The Pentagon has awarded Logos Technologies a contract to develop and manufacture a prototype hybrid-electric silent motorcycle.
According to the company, the US Department of Defense Advanced Research and Development Administration (DARPA) issued a grant to SBIR (Innovative R&D for Small Businesses) to develop a silent system, although a company spokesman said the cost could not be announced under the terms of the competition.
Logos Technologies will manufacture a multi-fuel hybrid-electric powertrain, and the company is also partnering with motorcycle manufacturer BRD, which will provide its BRD Redshift MX motorcycle as a platform.
BRD Redshift MX will be the basis for a new hybrid motorcycle
A company spokesman said the Redshift MX is a high-end off-road motocross bike. "Significant modifications will be required, but our team is happy with such a mature, efficient platform as a starting point to accelerate the development cycle that would not have been possible otherwise."
Logos said in a statement that "for the first time, two-wheel drive and multi-fuel hybrid capabilities will be integrated into a full-size off-road motorcycle."
Although a company spokesman was unable to name the development timeline, he noted that at the beginning of the work, the team will demonstrate “a hybrid-electric system corresponding to the power of an off-road motorcycle, and will use these results to develop a draft solution. This will allow in the course of further work to develop a full-fledged prototype properly”.
In order for a motorcycle to be considered quiet, DARPA controls must also define specific noise requirements.
"DARPA has indicated that during normal operation - that is, when the engine is burning fuel - the motorcycle should generate no more than 75 dB at a distance of 7 meters, which is roughly equivalent to the sound of a phone dialing right in the listener's ear," the spokesman explained.
"There can be a significant reduction in acoustic signature, especially when driving on batteries in silent mode, when the loudest sound from a motorcycle is the rustling of its wheels on the ground."
He also added that the main issue is volume. "There will be some weight gain, but off-road bikes do not have the same dimensions as their street counterparts and therefore maximum miniaturization and integration will be very important."
However, the spokesperson noted that from a technical point of view, the company does not consider this work as a high-risk program, since Logos has previously demonstrated a hybrid system based on a multi-fuel generator set on another platform and is currently working on an efficient electric motorcycle based on the BRD platform. Redshift.
“We plan to study both commercial and military options after the prototype has been manufactured and shown. In terms of military applications, here we are working with our sponsors from DARPA to determine the next best steps,”said a company spokesman.
Logos Technologies Prospect Manager Wade Palhem said: "A lightweight, reliable, quiet, single-track, all-wheel drive, long range, could support the successful operations of the US Expeditionary and Special Forces in extreme terrain and challenging environments."
"With the growing need for small units to operate away from logistical support, the military can increasingly rely on adaptable, efficient technology to which this hybrid-electric motorcycle belongs."
The company added that in addition to improving efficiency and mobility, which is the goal of this project, the hybrid-electric approach will also allow moving almost silently for a long time only on an electric propulsion unit, as well as generating additional electrical energy for use by personnel in the field.
