Victory Racing’s RR electric racing motorcycle took second place at the 2016 SES TT Zero race on the Isle of Man, marking the team’s second consecutive podium finish. According to a press release, racer William Dunlop’s 115.844 mph lap put him just behind team Mugen, whose rider Bruce Anstey took first place at 118.416 mph.
“I’m really happy with the result today. I could really feel the difference in the Victory RR this year — it’s a massive step forward,” said Dunlop at the conclusion of the race. “The bike has a really, really good motor, and massive respect to the Victory Racing boys for putting such a good bike together.”
At last year’s race, Victory’s Lee Johnston placed third at 111.620 mph, so this year’s performance saw significant progress.
The Victory RR race bike also logged the fastest top speed in its class at 159.8 mph through the Sulby Speed trap and across the Grandstand at 143.11 mph. The fastest ICE racers pass through Sulby between 190 and 200 mph, so it’s only a matter of time before electricity catches up.
Both the Victory RR and Empulse RR are being used to test out ideas for Victory’s future machines. The Empulse will be raced at Pikes Peak later this month.
Victory’s electric racers are powered by the GVM (Global Vehicle Motor) electric motor from Parker, and one representative from the company conveyed its excitement. “I am proud to be associated with this professional group of people. They work so hard and the results are well-deserved. Parker is happy that our GVM motors help power these fantastic machines around the course,” said Kevin Holloway, Parker’s U.S.-based strategic account manager. “To hear William [Dunlop] say the bike has a really, really good motor is music to my ears. We are looking forward to moving up one more step next year!”
The annual TT Zero inaugural race began in 2010 for motorcycles that don’t use carbon-based fuels and have zero toxic/noxious emissions.
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.