Lightning Motorcycles has recently launched the Tachyon Nb, a revamp and optimization of its Strike electric racing motorcycle, targeting speeds in excess of 250 mph (400 km/h). The name Tachyon refers to a hypothetical particle that travels faster than the speed of light. Nb is short for the rare metal niobium, which is widely used in bicycles. In fact, Tachyon Nb is a collaboration between Lightning and Brazilian company CBMM, the world's largest producer of niobium.
CBMM engineer and project development lead Daniel Wright said: "We are collaborating to produce brake rotors for niobium alloy . To improve high temperature performance, several niobium components in car charger allow the entire system to be more reliable , more efficient, and finally the use of niobium-containing steel tubes in the swing arm and chassis, allowing us to meet the demanding strength and weight requirements of the application.”
As Lightning founder and CEO Richard Hatfield told us in February, niobium alloys can strengthen metal parts while also improving their magnetism. This enables lightweighting and miniaturization that would otherwise be impossible; Hatfield told us that with the introduction of the metal, the charger alone dropped about 20 pounds (9 kg) without losing any power or overheating .
