And what about electric motorcycles?

Like many motorbikers, I wasn’t convinced about electric motorcycles: it’s a toy, it makes no sound, it’s sometimes completely ugly, it doesn’t shake and it has no range. Once I began to research the industry I found a lot of people: mechanics, designers, engineers, investors, die-hard fans who are developing their electric motorcycles or scooters. It opened up a new world for me, full of passion for design, mechanic and environment. I have since had the opportunity to ride on the road with a Zero DSR and the Johammer. I have also done some off-road with the KTM Freeride E. Hallelujah, no more petrol for me.

Start up’s At this moment, there are a lot of initiatives in electric motorcycle, but even so, a lot of problems: homologation (for example, Europe requires ABS), funding, production units, dealer networks etc. Some startup’s are even considering selling their electric motorcycle direct, without dealers. But, what about test-rides? After-sales support? Service and warranty-repairs? I can’t imagine buying an e-motorcycle will be the same as buying a t-shirt online, or will it? What if you don’t like it? Or what if you have ergonomic problem? Send it back after 7 days? Can you imagine the situation?

A number of startup companies I have spoken with are developing their product 12 to 24 months before they can produce a prototype. This already requires a huge investment in talent and funds before anything is produced. On top of that, if you want a global marketing campaign to have some exposure, then you talk about large budgets. If you want to set up a major dealer network from scratch, that’s almost impossible. So, you are depending on existing dealers of gasoline motorcycles. With this solution, you lose a lot of your E-identity. Another sales concept is the build-on-demand principle: you order, they start building.

Could E-centers be the solution? This could be interesting for investors: why couldn’t there be electric centers with several e-brands together in one place? We are talking about urban mobility and smart cities after all. These centers could be information places as well. You could choose and test (hire?) a wide range of electric vehicles for commuting or fun. You can even think about offroad centers (they exist today already) where you can play in the sand. I am convinced that this role is provided for entrepreneurs in cooperation with our government(s). Anyone?

E-scooter sharing Electric scooter sharing fleet services are popping up all over the world. Transportation-as-a-Service (TaaS) also known as Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS), describes a shift away from personally owned modes of transportation and towards mobility solutions that are consumed as a service. See more here on Electric Motorcycles News >

E-Sport This is growing. The first E-Championship Trial was held this year in France. MotoE is a competition for teams from all over the world to design and build and race electric motorbikes.

New business Globules Verts organizes a range of trails in Center-Alsace (the Vosges en France) with some electric off-road motorcycles. In Europe, you’ll find several off-road parks (some even indoor) where you can hire different models (even for kids). Personally, I experienced the Electro-Cross Park in Wanroij (The Netherlands) - it was great fun. The team of MMS Concept offers you an E-xperience that you can’t resist: a silent, electric ride in the Harz region (Germany) with a few BMW C-Evolution Scooters.

Electric brands It is impossible to list all companies and I would like to refer you to http://electricmotorcycles.news to discover a more structured overview of these brands and models. In Asia there are manufacturers that are large players in their region but rather unknown in Europe or elsewhere in the world. In China and India we see interesting start ups who have European plans for 2018 and of course the electric scooter market is booming business.

In Europe and North America we have some major players who are presenting themselves in the traditional way: they all have several models based on different power-platforms and a global dealer network with sales and service support.

The eternal discussion I am not a scientist or technician. I see and hear still a lot of pros and cons about the “electric revolution”. Today new technologies are popping up. Fast charging units are build everywhere next to gasoline stations. This EV-world is going fast, very fast.

About the author:
Since March 2017 Guy Salens is constantly searching for new E-models to share them at Electric Motorcycles News (EMN). EMN presents a realistic overview of existing electric motorcycles, e-scooters and some speed pedelecs. Guy is not a journalist, or a ‘motor-connaisseur’ but a motorcycle enthusiast who was convinced to make the switch …

More e-motorcycles and scooters at https://electricmotorcycles.news