29-yr-old Santa Rosa electric motorcycle designer in fatal accident
Matthew Dieckmann
We were sad to learn today of the tragic fatal electric motorcycle accident that claimed the life of 29-year-old Matthew Dieckmann Monday. News reports say that Dieckmann’s electric motorcycle struck a car in an intersection just a few miles from ZAP’s headquarters.
Dieckmann’s grandmother said that Dieckmann was piloting one of the electric motorcycles that he developed for his company Electric Race Bikes. Dieckmann has become known as a leader in promoting electric motorcycle and racing. He was riding his latest EGP, an electric motorcycle that took third place at the TTXGP motorcycle races held at Infineon Raceway in May. The website for Electric Race Bikes says the company will be restructuring following the death of Dieckmann, who was company president. In the interim people are asked to contact electricmotorsport.com.
Since ZAP was founded in 1994, the area has been a hotbed of electric vehicle advocacy and enthusiasts like Dieckmann have made for an energizing community. Several people at ZAP became fans following the electric motorcycle races at Infineon Raceway in May. The recent Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE has also inspired ZAP to pursue more on-track demonstrations and testing of its electric vehicle developments.
TTXGP, the eGrandPrix, is an international race series providing a high profile platform for the development of electric motorcycles, enabling the futuristic technology behind them to be tested in an exciting and challenging way. TTXGP aims to drive low carbon technological innovation forward, to demonstrate that clean-emission transport technologies have matured and can be fun, fast and exciting. Below is a recent video on board with Mike Hannas racing for Electric Race Bikes during qualifying for Round 4 of the TTXGP North American Championship 2010 at Virginia International Raceway.
