The Isle of Man TT organisation introduced TT Zero for 2010, replacing the TTXGP franchise that had held a one-off race in 2009. In that inaugural TTXGP event, Rob Barber aboard a Team AGNI motorcycle completed the Mountain Course at an average speed of 87.434 mph in 25 minutes and 53.5 seconds. The new TT Zero class simplified the regulations while retaining the emphasis on electric propulsion. To incentivise development, the Isle of Man Government offered a prize of £10,000 for the first competitor to exceed 100 mph average speed around the Mountain Course — a target corresponding to a lap time of 22 minutes and 38.388 seconds.
The 2010 TT Zero regulations permitted innovations that had been banned from FIM-sanctioned motorcycle racing for decades, including semi-dustbin streamlined fairings, which had been outlawed since 1958.
The inaugural 2010 race was won by Mark Miller aboard the American-built MotoCzysz E1pc, completing the lap at an average speed of 96.820 mph in 23 minutes and 22.89 seconds. The MotoCzysz E1pc was the first American-manufactured motorcycle to win an Isle of Man TT race since Oliver Godfrey's victory in the 1911 Senior TT on an Indian V-Twin, and Miller became the first United States winner of a TT race since Dave Roper's success in the 1984 Historic TT.
The 100 mph target was surpassed in 2012 when Michael Rutter lapped at 104.056 mph, and performance continued to climb through subsequent years. Rutter set multiple race records in the class across his appearances, and by 2018 had raised the benchmark to 121.824 mph, a record he improved marginally to 121.91 mph in 2019. John McGuinness set the race record in 2014 at 117.366 mph, and then again in 2015 at 119.279 mph, both times competing for Team Mugen.
The Japanese team Mugen established sustained dominance in TT Zero from 2014 onwards. Having taken their first victory that year — the inaugural win for McGuinness in the class — Mugen proceeded to win six consecutive races from 2014 through to 2019, progressively developing their electric machinery to raise average lap speeds by several miles per hour across that span.
In 2019 a moratorium on further TT Zero competition was announced, citing the slow growth of the electric motorcycle market and the resulting low number of race entries. The event had typically attracted fewer than ten starters at most editions, reflecting the considerable technical and financial demands of developing a competitive electric motorcycle capable of surviving the Mountain Course at racing speeds.
Speaking in late 2021, Enterprise Minister Alex Allinson ruled out any return to competition in the TT Zero class before at least 2024, and no further editions have been organised since. The class ran for a total of ten years, producing a progressive record of performance improvement that demonstrated the potential of electric motorcycle technology on one of the world's most demanding road circuits.
Competing machines were required to be prototype electrically propelled motorcycles powered solely by stored electricity. Minimum weight was set at 100 kg with a maximum of 300 kg in race-ready condition. Electrical voltage was capped at 800 volts between any two points, and kinetic energy recovery systems including regenerative braking were permitted. Aerodynamic bodywork regulations required the competitor to remain visible from either side, with the exception of hands and forearms, and bodywork ahead of the rider could not exceed shoulder height.
A qualifying requirement specified that competitors must complete the Mountain Course lap within 30 minutes, corresponding to an average speed of 75.46 mph.