Written by Tim Huber.
Over the last few years, it?s become abundantly clear that electric bikes will play an increasingly important role in the motorcycle industry in the coming years. The majority of major manufacturers currently have two-wheeled EV?s in various stages of development, and new electric startups are popping up on a damn-near-monthly basis. Consequently, today?s colleges and universities are preparing the next generation of engineers and designers for what will be a largely electron and proton-powered future.

One of the institutions pushing electric motorcycles on its pupils is Spain?s Elisava University. Attached to the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Elisava offers degrees in design and industrial design. This year, for the first time, Elisava tasked a handful of its fourth-year students to develop an electric off-road race bike from scratch to compete in the 2019 Barcelona Smart Moto Challenge (or BSMC). First held in 2013, the BSMC is an annual event in Catalonia that invites schools from all over the world to create ebikes that compete in a variety of competitions ranging from fastest lap-time to best battery design.
For its inaugural entry, the school formed the Elisava Racing Team, comprised of 11 engineering and one graphic design student. Dubbed, the ‘Eray’ the project was broken down into four key phases, and then individual tasks were divided amongst the team. Instructors gave the students the aim of ultimately creating a bike...