Gold Vehicle, Mobility and Transportation Design · 2021
XP Zero Electric Motorcycle
by Hugo Eccles
- A' Design Award 2021 Gold Winner in Vehicle, Mobility and Transportation Design
- Awarded April 15, 2021
- CLIENT: Hugo Eccles
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 78,716
- Verification code 2334B93126 · Verify this award
About XP Zero Electric Motorcycle
The XP Zero is a new type of electric motorcycle, one that discards conventions and defies expectations. Developed without compromise and built with precision, the XP combines cutting-edge design with state-of-the-art technology, representing a new era of motorcycling. The XP Zero doesn’t look like a conventional motorcycle because it isn’t a conventional motorcycle. The XP produces twice the torque of a combustion superbike, and accelerates faster than a supercar. Customisable performance profiles transform the XP from a cruiser on the highway, to a cafe racer in the twisties.
Within the evolving tradition of motorcycle design, Hugo Eccles's XP Zero Electric Motorcycle represents a thoughtful meditation on the relationship between mechanical heritage and technological transformation, positioning itself at the intersection of custom building craft and forward-looking mobility solutions. The work demonstrates remarkable compositional sophistication in its treatment of the motorcycle as sculptural object, where the deliberate exposure of the tubular trellis frame creates visual transparency that celebrates engineering while the hand-formed aluminum bodywork panels introduce organic warmth to an otherwise technical subject. The designer appears to engage with the visual language of classic European racing motorcycles, particularly the stripped-down aesthetic of vintage cafe racers, while simultaneously proposing a new formal vocabulary appropriate to electric propulsion systems where the traditional engine block gives way to more compact and flexible packaging possibilities. Technical achievement is evident throughout, from the precision welding of the frame joints to the careful shaping of the aluminum surfaces that wrap the front end and tail section, suggesting a synthesis of industrial fabrication techniques and traditional coachbuilding sensibilities. The chromatic restraint, limiting the palette to natural metal finishes and neutral tones, emphasizes material honesty and allows the forms themselves to communicate without decorative distraction. Thematic resonances extend beyond mere transportation design to touch upon broader questions of how established visual traditions might evolve when fundamental technologies change, how the emotional and aesthetic qualities associated with motorcycling might be preserved or transformed in an electric future. The profile presentation, a classical convention in vehicle portraiture, invites contemplation of proportion, stance, and silhouette while the textured concrete environment grounds the futuristic machine in tangible materiality. One might consider how this work proposes that technological progress need not abandon the sculptural and emotional qualities that have made motorcycles objects of enduring fascination.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The XP Zero is a new type of motorcycle, one that discards conventions and defies expectations. Developed without compromise and built with precision, the XP combines cutting-edge design with state-of-the-art technology.
The XP Zero doesn’t look like a conventional motorcycle because it isn’t one. The XP produces twice the torque of a superbike, delivered linearly and without gears. The XP’s individualized ride modes transform the XP from a cruiser on the motorway to a supermoto in the twisties. - Dimensions & Packaging
- Length: 2040mm.
Width: 680mm.
Height: 980mm.
Seat: 760mm.
Weight: 218kg.
Range: 175-260km.
Speed: 200kmh.
Acceleration: 0-100kmh 1.6 seconds, 0-200kmh 7 seconds.
Power: 110hp / 190Nm torque. - Tags
- xp, xpzero, zeroxp, electric, motorcycle, electricmotorcycle, emoto, moto
- Production Technology
- Machined aluminium seat shell, nose, bellypan.
Machined aluminium fork brackets, integrated speed display.
Machined aluminium handlebars, internal electronic throttle.
Machined aluminum footrests, ABS heel guards, polycarbonate edges.
Welded tubular steel spaceframe.
ABS polymer body panels, polycarbonate edges.
ABS tank nacelle, acrylic lens, TFT display.
Cast alloy wheels, ABS/aluminium covers.
82kW electric motor, clutchless direct drive.
14.4kWh Li-ion powerpack.
3.0kW onboard charger.
Keyless RFID ignition. - Design Challenge
- The motorcycle industry is struggling with an ageing audience and plateauing sales. Electric motorcycles can reinvent the category and rescue the industry. Traditional motorcycle companies associate this new technology with familiar tropes. But this prevents existing motorcyclists from exploring electric, and drives away new riders who are repelled by traditional motorcycle values. To appeal to new audiences, electric motorcycles must set themselves apart from traditional combustion designs.
- Project Duration
- The XP project was initiated in October 2018 and completed, 9 months later, in June 2019. The XP Zero debuted at the prestigious Goodwood Festival of Speed in July 2019. It has been exhibited at EICMA in Milan, and at the One Moto Show in Portland USA. In 2020 it will be showcased at the Moto MMXX exhibition.
- Operation Flow
- The XP’s design language is centred around the idea of control surfaces - both human and machine. The XP’s powertrain - a machined aerospace aluminum core housing the batteries, motor, charger, and other control components - also incorporates the seat. The rider sits astride the powertrain, while aerodynamic panels direct airflow over the motor. When approached, the motorcycle recognizes its rider, illuminates its lights and panels, and becomes 'alive'.
- Research
- The 2020s will be regarded as the moment when the electric motorcycle industry came of age. In many ways, the situation with electric motorcycles is similar to the dawn of combustion motorcycles in the 1880s when there was an incredible explosion of novel ideas and forms. With this new electric technology, many of the traditional design solutions created in response to combustion technology are no longer relevant. This is an unique opportunity to completely rethink the inherited status quo.
- Inspiration
- The XP Zero was designed by imagining an alternate reality in which motorcycles have always been electric. The XP asks what an electric motorcycle would look like today with 135 years of development. Traditional motorcycle design is driven by the physical constraints of the combustion engine. With the introduction of electric, those limitations disappear. The XP rethinks the motorcycle by taking a first-principles approach and creating an entirely new design language for electric motorcycles.
- Image Credits
- Image #1: Photographer Ludovic Robert, XP Zero, 2019.
Image #2: Photographer Aaron Brimhall, XP Zero, 2019.
Image #3: Photographer Aaron Brimhall, XP Zero, 2019.
Image #4: Photographer Aaron Brimhall, XP Zero, 2019.
Image #5: Photographer Aaron Brimhall, XP Zero, 2019.
Video: Videographer Michael Larsen, XP Zero, 2019.
PDF: Hugo Eccles, Untitled Motorcycles, 2020. - Patents
- Copyright Hugo Eccles, Untitled Motorcycles, 2019.