and Why They’re the Future
Readers pointed out some areas of the electric motorcycle market I failed to mention. I’ve updated the article accordingly. This further highlights the fact that electric bikes are a huge deal, and will continue to be as the technology continues to develop.
As you’ve probably noticed, we’ve covered a lot of news about electric motorcycles lately. These bikes used to be a rarity in motorcycle news, but today they’re everywhere. It seems there’s always a new teaser up, an interesting concept, or some new developments to report on.
With all the electric motorcycle noise out there, it can be tough to keep everything straight. You might feel lost in all of the upcoming news, so I thought it best to discuss in more detail where electric motorcycle technology is currently at, where it’s going, and to a certain extent talk about what you can expect.
One thing is for certain, electric motorcycles are the future. With the way current emissions standards are and the performance capabilities of an electric motor, I don’t see how anyone could think electric motorcycles won’t be the future of the industry.
That doesn’t mean internal combustion motorcycles will disappear altogether anytime soon. The internal combustion engine will soldier on for many more decades. People are comfortable with them, they’re affordable, and they make really beautiful noises and provide sensations electric motors can’t.
With that said, there will come a time when the majority of motorcycles sold have a battery and a motor instead of a gas tank and an engine.
We’re not there yet, though, so let’s look at where electric motorcycles are at today.
What’s Up With Electric Motorcycles Today?
The world of electric motorcycles is getting extremely interesting. There’s a lot going on in terms of technology and who’s building what. Here’s where things currently stand.
All Kinds of Products & Tech Solutions
As of right now, traditional motorcycle companies and new upstarts are trying to gain footing with electric bikes.
In Japan, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha teamed up to work on swappable battery technology. In the U.S. Harley-Davidson released the outrageously priced LiveWire and seems to have plans for other motorcycles and electric mobility machines. Zero Motorcycles just released its most advanced and impressive model yet—the SR/F— and Lightning Motorcycles released an electric sportbike to challenge them all, called the Strike.
On top of all that, there are electric motorcycle, scooter, and moped startups popping up all over the place. Each one has its own unique take on what an electric motorcycle can be or should be, from a high-powered, high-priced ride to an extremely affordable commuter bike.
Far From Perfect Machines
No matter who builds the bike, it seems they have four issues to deal with in some capacity: range, performance, charge time, and price. Some manufacturers have managed to mitigate one only by exacerbating the others.
That means if you have a low price on a bike, like is the case with the Suru and Onyx mopeds, then the range, charge times, and performance suffer. If the range, charge time, and performance are impressive then the price is so high it’s not worth it—exactly the problem with Harley’s LiveWire.
Until the price comes down or the range, charge times, and performance go way up, electric motorcycles will struggle to outsell their internal combustion competitors.
The way the industry is progressing right now, that could take years, but the improvements over the next few years in battery technology could make current range anxiety issues a thing of the past.
Solid-state battery technology and flow battery technology could change everything. That technology is set to come out in the next few years and could reduce recharge times and increase range considerably. When it hits, it will hit cars first and then make its way to the motorcycle industry.
What are the Main Technologies Being Used?
Let’s put aside the technology of the future for a moment and focus on the electric motorcycle technology that’s currently in use. I’m no electric motorcycle technician, but even I can give you a quick rundown of the technology, and help you understand what you need to know from a consumer perspective.
When it comes to batteries, everyone is using lithium-ion batteries of various sizes. Some are air-cooled and some are liquid-cooled. Generally, the faster you can cool the battery the faster it will recharge. Bigger bikes with bigger batteries will go further. So, the range comes down to how you can package the battery into the motorcycle and how efficiently you can transfer the power from that battery to the road and manage its temperature.
In terms of motors, right now most motorcycle manufacturers are utilizing different size electric motors that drive a chain, belt, driveshaft, etc—traditional motorcycle drive systems.
However, there are some interesting electric wheel motors or electric hub motors. Most notable is the one from Fuell Motorcycles, which is still developing its bikes and should release more information on its motorcycles soon.
There’s also regenerative braking used by almost every manufacturer which helps add power to the battery under breaking. In addition to this, you’re seeing more smart technology added to electric motorcycles. Zero Motorcycles has added plenty of smart tech to its latest effort, the SR/F, including an app that interfaces with the motorcycle enabling a variety of features.
It’s important to note that the technology used on electric bikes may be advanced, but
it will require much less maintenance. There are fewer parts overall. The parts that are there will require less-frequent maintenance, meaning the cost of owning an electric bike will go down. This is a very important aspect of the electric motorcycle and one that many people, including myself, are excited about.
Bottom Line
Electric motorcycle technology is getting better and better every day. While motorcycles with internal combustion engines make more sense right now in terms of cost, there will come a time when they don’t.
That will be a time when charging a battery takes only a few minutes, and battery ranges and electric motor power are far beyond the current capabilities.
If you want to join the electric revolution now, you can. There are good electric motorcycles out there. Affordable ones, even, but the vast majority of them aren’t quite there yet.
The technology is moving in the right direction. I’d rather wait a few years and get something truly amazing. Make no mistake, though, electric bikes are the future whether we want them to be or not. You’ll still be able to buy an internal combustion motorcycle for many more years, but eventually, electric motorcycles will take over.
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