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Gamechanger is an overused word , but Chinese auto manufacturer Leapmotor ' s first mass production model with CTC Technology may well be a genuine case - and one with profound implications for how electric motorcycles and scooters are built . CTC stands for ' Cell to Chassis ' - a technology where the chassis acts as the storage venue for the electric power . The battery module is integrated into the vehicle body . Very different to using the battery cluster or its case as a stressed member and a concept with major implications for design options and charge cycles .

Honda has announced an agreement with LG Energy Solution to establish a joint venture company to produce lithium-ion batteries in the U . S . to power Honda electric cars for the North American market . Honda is investing US $ 1.7bn .

Aviation may only contribute 2.5 % of anthropogenic greenhouse-gas emissions , but it is a high- profile contributor to global warming . Green moves are happening , including work towards using batteries or hydrogen for short-haul flights . Sustainable fuel made from biomass and waste products is already being used by some airlines . However , what would solve the matter quickly is an all-new fuel , high in both environmental credentials and in energy density , based on modified bacterial fungicides . Scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California have worked out how to create cyclopropane ( cp ) rings , one of the energy-richest chemical structures found in hydrocarbons , using genetically engineered bacteria . Aeronautical engineers already know the value of cp rings . In the 1960s , Soviet scientists used them in their design of Syntin , a rocket fuel that propelled the upper stages of Soyuz and Proton launchers . But making Syntin and other synthetic polycyclopropanated ( pop ) compounds remains hard and expensive- and usually involves a fossil-fuel feedstock . However , an anti-fungal molecule produced by Streptomyces roseoverticillatus , a common soil bacterium , one of only two known natural pop compounds , is full of cp rings and powerful enough to fuel aircraft with energy densities of up to and greater than 40 megajoules per litre , more potent than most widely used rocket and aviation fuels .

Honda has been teasing its new Hornet project since last year , but the company has finally revealed some genuine photographic evidence along with the first specifications . There ' s already a 745 cc twin in Honda ' s range , powering the NC750 line of bikes , but the new 755 cc twin for the Hornet ( and the upcoming Transalp 750 ) is a very different proposition , despite sharing some characteristics . Like the NC engine and the Africa Twin ' s 1,084 cc twin , the Hornet ' s 755 cc unit uses the Unicam cylinder head arrangement , with a single camshaft acting directly on the intake valves and opening the

CFMoto ' s 450SR is probably the company ' s most ambitious machine to date . Previewed with the Italian-styled SR-C21 concept at last year ' s EICMA , the production 450SR has since been launched in Asia and is now confirmed for European markets in 2023 . While the styling is a clear evolution of the look seen on CFMoto ' s existing , smallercapacity SR models , the 450SR is completely new and built around a dedicated 450 cc parallel twin engine . This watercooled DOHC motor uses a 270-degree firing interval from a crossplane crankshaft , giving the feel and sound of a 90- degree V-twin combined with the tight packaging and reduced component count of a parallel twin engine . Dual balancer shafts keep it smooth and there ' s a slipper clutch

exhausts via rockers . It ' s a compact layout that helps reduce both the size of the engine and its parts count . In terms of performance , the new Hornet engine is superior to the NC750 engine . Despite only a 10 cc capacity advantage , it offers a peak of 90.5 hp at 9,500 rpm , much more than the lazy 57 hp at 6,750 rpm of the NC . Torque is also up , from 50.9 lb-ft to 55.3 lb-ft , coming at 7,250 rpm . This new Hornet engine uses a 270-degree firing interval to replicate the throb of a 90-degree V-twin , and it will benefit from electronic throttles and the usual array of traction control and riding mode software .

between the engine and the sixspeed transmission . Although the final power figures for European bikes won ' t be confirmed until after homologation , the Asian version is good for 37 kW ( 50 hp ) at 9,500 rpm and 39 Nm of torque at 7,600 rpm , in a package weighing only 168 kg , including fuel . That low mass means it ' ll be hard to detune the bike enough for A2 licence regulations in Europe , but for

The Hornet Test Project Leader is Fuyuki Hosokawa , who led the development of the current Fireblade . He said : " Before starting this project , we thought long and hard about what kind of performance we wanted to give to the rider . We knew that it was essential to keep the classic Hornet top end power ' hit ' and at the same time , as a new generation Hornet for modern times , we wanted the engine to have a really strong torquey feel and ' throbbing ' sensation at low to mid rpm . " To get the kind of performance and lightweight handling we wanted , we knew we had to develop an all-new , short-stroke , twin-cylinder engine with a 270 ° crankshaft . This would not only deliver that top-end rush , but also the sporty lowdown torque , ideal for riding in urban environments and powering out of corners on the open road ."

full licence holders looking for a lightweight sports bike , it fills a gap in the market that ' s been empty since the demise of twostroke machines like the 55 hp , 167 kg Aprilia RS250 two decades ago . High-spec chassis components include 37 mm upside-down forks and a Brembo brake system using a single 320 mm disc and a four-piston , radialmount caliper at the front , with Bosch ABS .