Saving the planet at 400 kilometres an hour | Eva Hakansson | TEDxUOA
Electric vehicles might seem relatively new. Or slow. Or just inferior to diesel. Eva Hakansson knew that that was what people thought, so she set out on a mission to convince them otherwise. Using her own personally designed, personally crafted electric motorcycle, she’s broken world records countless times over, shocking the world that electric vehicles can be both fast and sexy. Mechanical engineer, lecturer and world-record holder, Eva has shown the world just what electric vehicles can accomplish. Her father being a champion motorcycle rider/builder in the 60s, Eva was raised in a household destined for the racetrack.
Starting with the first registered e-bike in Sweden, the ‘Electrocat’, Eva soon developed the ‘KillaJoule’ electric motorcycle in her garage and consequently broke records in land speed racing. Killajoule eventually went on to become the fastest female-driven electric motorcycle, clocking in at 434 km/hr. But determined to go even further, Eva’s latest project, the electric motorcycle ‘Green Envy’, seeks to become the fastest motorcycle in the world, with aims of reaching 650km/h.
Outside of her racing career, however, Eva is also a distinguished academic, with Bachelor degrees in Business Administration and Environmental Sciences, a Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Denver. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx