Unitec leads charge to develop safer, electric quad bike

26 November 2013

Unitec has unveiled plans to develop a safer and lighter electric quad bike for use on farms. The first of its kind in New Zealand, it has a self-levelling suspension to reduce the rates of accidents and is fuelled by hydrogen.

"The UniQuad electric quad bike is not only highly innovative, it has the potential to save lives," says Jonathan Leaver, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at Unitec. "Essentially we are taking the quad bike from the stone age to the space age."

Every year there are around 850 quad bike injuries in New Zealand, five of which are fatal. It is estimated that there are somewhere between 70,000 and 90,000 quad bikes in use across the country, mostly in the agricultural sector.

"The electric quad bike has been specifically designed to dramatically reduce injuries and fatalities," says Assoc. Professor Leaver. "It has a self-levelling suspension which keeps the centre of gravity over the centre of the axle, even along slopes.

"We are enthused because the system has potential to be retrofitted to New Zealand's existing quad bike fleet, benefiting thousands of Kiwis. The development will have several technological challenges, especially with refuelling the high pressure hydrogen tank. However these are inevitable in implementing new technologies."

Unitec is committed to advanced and green technologies, and the UniQuad is an example of how farm equipment can be fuelled with renewable energy. The bike is expected to be lighter than a battery powered quad, giving it better manoeuvrability, increased range, and a shorter refuelling time.

"The quad bike project is part of a bigger initiative to develop energy-independent farming systems where energy is developed on-site from renewable sources such as solar, hydro and wind," says Assoc. Professor Leaver. "For Unitec students, it's a chance to learn about hydrogen based technologies that are being introduced in Korea, California, Germany, England and Denmark."

The UniQuad design is inspired by Massey University industrial design student, Nick Marks, and the project will give Unitec staff and students the opportunity to contribute to the development of the first hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle assembled in New Zealand.

Unitec is working on this ground-breaking project in partnership with H2_New Zealand, Callaghan Innovation, Manukau Institute of Technology and Astara.

The prototype will be assembled during 2014, ready for testing in 2015.

ENDS

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