Honouring brave officers
This all-lithium, nearly-silent motorcycle was developed by Big Bear Choppers in collaboration with Hybrid Technologies, Inc. with the cooperation of the California Highway Patrol (CHP). Officer Sean Roby, who was trained by fallen officer Thomas Joel Steiner, came up with the idea of creating a chopper rather than the usual cliché plaque to honour those men and women killed in the line of duty. Since motorcylces are a big part of the CHP culture, Roby was able to sketch a preliminary composite of the custom memorial chopper to hand over to Kevin Alsop, owner of Big Bear Choppers located in Big Bear Lake, CA
Working together
Alsop ran with the design to create the one-off custom chopper and with the help from Hybrid Technologies put in the electronic wiring scheme for the electric motor. While the Chopper holds an intimidating (and beautiful) V-twin motor, its insides have been gutted and replaced with an electric motor that holds six 48-volt lithium cell batteries. These batteries are a terrific eco-friendly energy alternative, since its lifecycle is exceptionally long when compared to the more hazardous options. In fact, according to Hybrid Technologies, these lithium cell batteries will last for over 1500 charges.
Public approval
The prototype was unveiled to the public in 2005 during a week long memorial celebrations and received some well-deserved attention from local politicians and celebrities. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was quite receptive to the Chopper, since he is particularly proactive in greening California highways.
User-friendly and green
Charging the bike is as easy as plugging it into an outlet overnight (its charge time is approximately 6 hours). Its exhaust pipe is both silent, clean and even cool to the touch – after all, no dirty hot exhaust is being created. This is a sobering thought since motorcycles contribute approximately 15-times more air pollutants than cars.
With a custom paint job and gorgeous rims that resemble a CHP badge, speeders may get pulled over in style. The downside to the technology, however, is that the Chopper is only capable of reaching up to 50 miles per hour and last about 6 hours, rendering its practical use by the CHP limited.
Now available
The CHP chopper is now part of the Hybrid Technology portfolio. This green technology gives high hopes for those environmentally-conscious consumers interested in two-wheeled modes of transportation. The Chopper exhibits an impressive array of green technology for the “enviro-rebels” in all of us.
A permanent home
As for the original CHP Chopper, it was donated by Hybrid Technologies to the CHP’s union and after a series of appearance at shows and fund raising events was placed on display at the California Highway Patrol’s museum in Sacramento.
Jason Antebi is an L.A. freelance writer and broadcaster.
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