242mph electric sidecar breaks three land speed records
Eva Håkansson now the fastest woman on a motorcycle in the world
LAND speed record chaser Eva Håkansson broke several records at the Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials last week on her electric sidecar ‘KillaJoule’.
The Swedish engineer hit a top speed of 241.901mph and achieved a two-way average of 240.726mph, beating the previous electric motorcycle speed record by 25mph.
KillaJoule is powered by two Rinehart Motion Systems PM100 controllers that produce a combined 400hp. It weighs 700kg including rider and has been worked on by Håkansson and her husband for five years.
The record, which is pending official certification by the AMA, would see Håkansson become the fastest woman on a motorcycle in the world. It would also give KillaJoule the titles: fastest electric motorcycle in the world and fastest sidecar motorcycle in the world, including those powered by internal combustion engines.
Håkansson said: ‘This is a truly historic event.
‘It is the first time in over a century that an electric vehicle beats internal combustion for a vehicle type. The last time this happened was in 1899 when the world’s fastest car was the electric car ‘La Jamais Contente’ driven by Camille Jenatzy at 65mph. Since then, internal combustion has dominated everything.’
