XP Zero

What happens when an atom industry meets a bit generation? We are on the cusp of one of the most consequential disruptions of transportation in history. There is an opportunity to reinvent the motorcycle category and resurrect the industry. Established manufacturers, hampered by brand legacies and entrenched design languages, are unable to challenge their own orthodoxy. A new diverse demographic of riders is emerging. Agnostic of legacy manufacturers, or actively avoiding their outdated values, this new generation is looking for an alternative - a motorcycle that represents a renewed set of beliefs and points to an optimistic future.

The XP's design consists of two main visual elements: an aluminium core comprising the batteries, motor, controller, and charger; and a steel spaceframe supporting the 'floating' aerodynamic panels. The core incorporates the rider's seat so she is physically connected to the powertrain, the heart of the motorcycle. The XP's power is delivered directly, without gears, and the sensation is similar to piloting a small jet. This jet-like quality is embodied in the XP's minimal, aerodynamic panels that both support the rider and direct airflow over the motorcycle. The XP Zero is literally, and figuratively, a deconstructed motorcycle.

Traditional motorcycle design has been driven by the physical constraints of the combustion engine: a high-mounted fuel tank to gravity-feed the carburetors below, exhaust pipes routed to avoid burning the rider, and so on. The XP programme was a unique opportunity to reexamine, and reimagine, what the design language of the motorcycle could be when no longer dictated by the limitations of petrol. The result is an entirely new design language that is unmistakably, and unapologetically, electric.

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. The onboard ride computer provides user-customised performance profiles, switchable on-the-fly, that transform the XP from a cruiser on the motorway, to a café racer in the twisties. The XP utilises aerospace industry production methods and technologies. The XP was almost entirely conceived and designed in 3D-CAD and the majority of its panels are CNC computer-machined. This 'digital manufacturing' approach allows an unprecedented level of both customisation and reproducibility for each rider, with individualised replacement parts available at the press of a button: modern manufacturing for a modern era.