Buckeye Current rallies to compete in the 2015 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

Buckeye Current, the student electric motorcycle team at The Ohio State University, has completed its latest all-electric racing motorcycle. RW-3 will compete in the 2015 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb June 28. This follows on the success of the team’s 2013 and 2014 Isle of Man TT Zero performances in which renowned

rider Rob Barber piloted the team’s RW-2 and then RW-2.X vehicles to third place victories, achieving the title of the world’s fastest collegiate electric motorcycle two consecutive years. After earning two podium finishes at the Isle of Man, the team looks ahead to a new challenge.

"Pikes Peak is an exciting new challenge on a grand stage, and the team has created a brilliant new design to meet it," says administrative team leader and electrical engineering graduat student Kyle Stewart. "I'm looking forward to showing the world of just what our students are capable."

This year saw the completion of an entirely new bike to conquer Pikes Peak. RW-3 is designed to average 76 miles per hour through the course with a top speed of 125 miles per hour. The battery pack holds 7.8 kilowatt-hours of energy on board and contains 972 individual cylindrical battery cells. The bike features a student-designed and -built electronics system, carbon fiber fairings and a custom-designed battery pack. With such great student talent, the team was able to create a bike that it believes can not only win the electric class but set the record for all motorcycles.

Update directly from the test track

Shortly after arriving in Colorado, the team faced a very serious setback. After multiple, successful runs on the bike, a slick patch on the track caused the RW-3 to crash, injuring pilot Rob Barber. In light of a great partnership with Rob “The Bullet” Barber over the past two years, Buckeye Current is saddened to announce that he will be unable to race in this year’s hill climb. Barber is now recovering well from the accident and planning to support the team from the sidelines.

Buckeye Current is determined to press on towards its goal of conquering Pikes Peak, and the team is pleased to announce that not only is RW-3 repaired but the team has also secured the help of a replacement rider: Joe Prussiano, a professional race instructor at the Texas Tornado Boot Camp. Prussiano is a three-time Pikes Peak 450 Pro Class winner and has graciously stepped into race in Barber’s absence.  After a major rebuilding effort, the RW-3 has passed through Pikes Peak official tech inspection and has met its new rider. The team is very grateful to Prussiano for his immediate response. He is looking forward to race day with the team, sponsors and fans cheering him on as he reaches the summit of this historic racecourse.

Enjoy a video of the team's road to success here.

 

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More About Buckeye Current
Buckeye Current is a student team at The Ohio State University based at the Center for Automotive Research. The team researches, designs, builds and races electric motorcycles to not only create innovative electric vehicles but to educate both students and the community about green technologies. The team’s first bike, RW-1, set the East Coast Timing Association record for electric motorcycles at 144.3 miles per hour. Buckeye Current’s second bike placed third in the Isle of Man TT Zero, an international all-electric series and the third bike placed third to defend that position in the following year. To read more about the team and to follow its progress please visit current.osu.edu and the Facebook page (/BuckeyeCurrent).

Contact: Lauren Alman Buckeye Current Marketing Coordinator alman.5@osu.edu (703)965-3330