We are Team Bath Zero, a student-led electric motorcycle development team. We are based within the Faculty of Engineering and Design at the University of Bath, England. Bath Zero was founded in 2015, with the goal of competing in the prestigious Isle of Man (IoM) TT Zero Class. At IoM 2016, we took our first bike, Odin, to compete. Later that season, we entered into Moto E 2016, where we made two podiums. For the 2017 season, our latest development was born, Apollo. We would return to the IoM TT, finishing 7th in our category, before competing in the Moto E Electric Superbike Series and the Aberdare Road Race.
Preparing for the 2018 season, we created The Vision with significant upgrades. However, during the 2018 IoM TT, the bike would have an accident and would be destroyed. This gave way to the 2019 bike aptly named: The Phoenix. The Phoenix was developed with the most foundational changes at the time, with more power than ever. At the IoM TT 2019, we came 4th overall in our category and 1st for university teams. We achieved a top speed of 162 mph.
After the pandemic, we relaunched the team and for the 2022 season, we created Falcon. Falcon would be continually developed into 2024, before eventually being named - Blackbird.
Our goal now is a complete ground-up redesign of the bike in order to compete in MotoStudent-Electric 2027. With a podium history and proven fundamentals, we are aiming to win the best rookie award prize and are confident in our ability. MotoStudent is an international student engineering competition held biennially at the MotorLand Aragón Circuit in Spain. The event sees university teams from across the world compete against each other in a wheel-to-wheel race. The competition consists of a series of events, including technical inspections, dynamic performance tests, qualifying sessions, and a final race. Each element contributes a weighted number of points toward the overall standings.
Our 2027 design is the most fundamentally distinct of any we have built - regulations require much lighter, more refined bikes, and the industry is delivering ever-smaller, increasingly efficient components. Our ‘yet-to-be-named’ 2027 bike will carry a significantly higher power-to-weight ratio than anything we have built before. The industry growth is amplifying the potential of our own creations and RS is allowing us to capture as much of that potential as possible.
We are currently in the design phase, looking to enter the manufacturing and assembly phase by summer 2026. Entering this phase is a large and exciting step that requires substantial funding. Because of the RS student fund, the process of assembly is made much more achievable, with the purchase of critical high-voltage PPE, bearings, and 3D print filament. With the help of RS we are confident that we will be able to hit our target of the building and test phase in early 2027.
Written by Lorin Darkin-Price
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