Electric Motorcycle Companies Are Dying Left And Right As People Just Aren't Buying Enough Bikes - The Autopian
Electric Motorcycle Companies Are Dying Left And Right As People Just Aren't Buying Enough Bikes - The Autopian
This month, electric motorcycle companies Fuell and Energica went out of business. They join a list of companies that died after poor sales
This month, electric motorcycle companies Fuell and Energica went out of business. They join a list of companies that died after poor sales
Ebikes are doing well. Surron style "small motorcycles" and Cafe/scooters seem to do well in North America.
45-60kph top speed is really the sweet spot for an ebike. With most travel about 30kph. The step above that needs 1500w charging, but batteries are almost always optimized for performance instead of charging rate. 2-3 hours to full is not that great, and a heavier bike getting 1500wh might get just 80km range over 2 hours.
It's normal for all ebikes to have 1 hour of range at full speed. Fewer practical use for this at motorcycle speeds. An EV like Citroen Ami ($6000 car at 45kph max speed) will have more range and practicality despite parking hassles than an expensive e-moto.
I'm okay with the price and range. I am actively averse to the parts and service lock-in, app requirements, subscription-based everything, data privacy issues, and all of the other "modern" bullshit that comes with modern vehicles. I think most people at least implicitly understand that the early gold rush is going to be a bloodbath and that new entrants to the game are going to sputter and trip on things that other companies have been doing for decades.
I'd buy an electric motorcycle today if it didn't have an app requirement to get full power and level 3 charging, didn't have any subscription bullshit, was entirely designed to be worked on by anyone with basic tools and knowledge, had user-swappable batteries, and had a strong data privacy policy.
So yeah, lots of niche players are going to die, and most of them absolutely deserve it.
Because the battery tech isn't ready yet.
They have enough range to commute around town, but then why not an ebike or electric scooter? Both of which are cheaper and go fast enough. Depending on local laws and trails, an ebike might give you access to bike trails aside from the regular road.
If you want to cruise on the highway, the poor aerodynamics of motorcycles means range plummets much harder than it does for EVs.
I've been seeing lots of electric motorcycle manufacturers market their combined or city range, but hide away their highway range. You have to go digging to find it, and once you do, it becomes obvious why. It's abysmal.
My standard is that I can ride from my home in Madison, WI out to Wisconsin Dells and back again on one charge. This isn't even that long of a ride. I haven't found an electric motorcycle yet that can do it. Batteries will need to double in capacity per kg before it can get there. That would take another decade or so of the improvement rate we've seen over the past 20 years.
The highway efficiency losses are due to the inefficiency of the electric motors running at the higher speeds.
That doesn't explain all the data. EVs would also show a much greater drop on highway range than they do.
Aerodynamics is at play, here. Motorcycles have a better frontal cross section than cars, but their drag coefficient is much worse.
Edit: also, the drop in efficency at high speed is small. Depends on the type of motor, but it's usually only a few percent:
https://electricalacademia.com/induction-motor/three-phase-induction-motor-performance/
No. It is aerodynamics vs weight balance. Low speed, weight matters a lot. High speed takes major power to overcome air resistance especially if geometry is like a Harley instead of a motosport race bike. Electric motors are most efficient at top RPMs.
They should form a co-op and get behind a few models. If you lower your costs and overhead, and pool your customer base, you'll be able to to remain viable while staying above corporate buyouts.
I wanted the energica. But bought a gasoline bike with more options for 15k less.
Switched to electric bike years ago and have no regrets. Tbf I did switch from a Ducati so high price wasn't a show stopper, but I love my Zero SR.
Just got the battery replaced due to an issue with one of the modules with days left on the warranty and Zero took care of it without any cost to me after a quick diagnostic process.
Otherwise zero issues with my Zero. Only maintenance in the last 4 years is replacing the tires. Love the bike.
I really want one, but can’t stomach the price for what you get. Imma need something sub 10k… or something over 250 miles of range if it’s going to be 20k.
My EV gets between 280-300 miles on a charge and that works great. Any less will need to wait on more charging stations. Motorcyclists are known for wanting to ride highways over choosing interstates. Interstates have good charging infrastructure, highways… not so much.
Electric motorcycles have never had a market.
Why are companies trying to force a product that nobody is asking for?
Built better e-bikes, and forget e-motorcycles.
Motorcycle riders will need to ride electric at some point. I'm asking for this product, but the price is too high and performance is not good enough for me to justify it yet. (Same as cars to be fair)
Motorcycle riders will need to ride electric at some point.
Which motorcycle riders? Do you see e-motorcycles being a realistic market in the places where the majority of motorcycles are used? Undeveloped countries.
There needs to be an overwhelming benefit to owning one, and that's just not happening any time soon.
You may get some niche grey area products gaining traction (i.e. Surons), but it's extremely hard to convince people to get a standard e-motorcycle.
I would absolutely love an ebike, but they are outrageously priced.
eBike or electric motorcycle? I see them used interchangeably sometimes but I always thought eBike included pedaling and topped out at like 35kph
These bikes are usually slower, less than 120 miles of range, and are almost double the price of a gas bike.
There isn’t really much advantage over a gas bike (and I say this as an e-dirtbike owner) just yet. Instant torque, no clutch, and much lighter are all these things have going for them. It’s not enough
These bikes are usually slower, less than 120 miles of range, and are almost double the price of a gas bike.
And you can't really fix them anywhere but a highly specialized service dealer.
I watch a lot of bike and motorcycle touring videos on YouTube. These people have their busted bikes repaired in small African villages without any real issues. I couldn't see anyone adventure riding on an e-motorcycle.
Emotos are designed for riding near civilization, and in that case, e-bikes are better in nearly every way.
Very few people are motorcycle enthusiasts these days and an even fewer would be into dropping $20,000-$30,000+ on an e-motorcycle. That's getting up into new-car prices. Gasoline bikes are considerably cheaper and second hand ones are even cheaper still. They are also reasonably priced to service and have tanks that can be filled with change you find between the couch cushions.
It really is no surprise these aren't taking off.
I didn’t even know this was a thing until now. Sure, seems obvious, but their marketing was clearly shit.