Ride the Lightning
Anthony Cross, CEO of Zaiser Motors discusses the electric motorcycle market and how its Electrocycle will compete in the segment.
AS THE WORLD MOVES towards e-mobility, one segment within the transport industry has thus far been underserved. We are of course talking about the electric motorcycle market, which is expected to be worth US$48.46 billion by 2028.
Inspite of this projection, we have yet to see many major bike manufacturers hop on the EV bandwagon. Unlike the car market, where we have already begun to see established automotive brands switch to EV platforms, there are only a handful of motorcycle brands switching to electrics. There is a great deal of room for more brands to come in.
Zaiser Motors is one such start-up that is keen to service the segment. And it may just have the bike to do it too in the form of the Electrocycle. The concept motorcycle was created by Zaiser Motors after recognising that traditional internal-combustion motorcycles were being phased out.
But the company realised it had to do more than just equip a twowheeler with an electric powerplant. It set out to create an electric motorcycle that would rival and exceed what is available in the gasoline marketplace.
Designed from the ground up to disrupt the underserved electric motorcycle market, Zaiser Motors electric motorcycle is focused on sustainability. The company aims to recycle most of the bike’s components within the first 10 years of production.
Sustainability aside, the Electrocycle does have a number of unique attributes that most electric motorcycles are not equipped with. For instance, it will have a 480km range and sport a revolutionary twinhub power train. Key features will include propriety auto-stabilisation system as well as power assistance and traction control.
Helping to alleviate range anxiety, the motorcycle will boast interchangeable batteries. This will help owners swap out their
batteries, charging them when convenient. Following the launch of its Wefunder campaign, the Electrocycle is already making waves in the EV market. Anthony Cross, CEO of Zaiser Motors reveals more about the EV market and how Electrocycle is planning to disrupt it.
First off with the focus on e-mobility, do you feel the e-bike market is underserved?
I think so, yes. We are seeing a flood of small electric bikes that are closer to mopeds than “motorcycles” entering the market, and while it may seem like there are some contenders, there really aren’t many actual electric motorcycles being produced, or ones that are very usable at least.
How big is the market for electric motorcycles?
It really depends on who you talk to, as cliche as that may sound. As stated, as a market, we are still working on a solid spec-based definition of an “electric motorcycle” ‒ I will say that nearly a quarter of a million electric based “scooters” were sold worldwide last year and while perhaps the “electra glide / big bike” market is shrinking, the smaller to mid-sized bike category is most definitely on the rise.
Besides Harley Davidson, we haven’t seen the major bike brands release electrified models yet, why is that?
Typically the cost of development is substantial, and to just re-tool entire manufacturing lines willy-nilly isn’t something that an established manufacturer is particularly interested in doing ‒ However, as ICE based platforms are phased out over the next 10 years it will quickly become imperative to switch over, and as regulations come in mandating this (Europe & California already have) we will start to see the major players like BMW, Triumph and others make the leap too, no doubt.
Realistically, can a sta -up like Zaiser Motors compete in this marketplace?
I think we are in a unique position given our timing to compete, especially with some of the next generation battery and range extension tech we are going to be implementing to hit our targets.
How long was the development process for the Electrocycle?
We initially had the idea in the autumn of 2019 and all throughout 2020 and this year have been tooling away in stealth mode waiting till we felt comfortable to start a raise and could back up our figures.
What’s the main differentiating factor between the model and its closest rivals?
With the entire Electrocycle platform we are targeting a sweet spot of new technology and beautiful design all at an affordable price. A lot of the early electric bikes have been either hopelessly underpowered and cheap or have adequate figures but are exorbitent. Our goal from the get-go was to make a bike we ourselves wanted to ride, since we don’t see all of these facets present on any one bike on the marketplace.
How has the interest been for the Electrocycle?
Fantastic actually. There are some polarised opinions on the design, however we have always noted that it’s very much a living model and is in the process of changing and growing just as the company is. We are however really excited to see our commitments growing on WeFunder so it has been surreal in a good way.
Are you focusing the Electrocycle specifically for the domestic US market or are there plans for international sales as well?
At first we are essentially going to have to focus on the domestic US market unless we see a tectonic shift in our funding models. In the medium- to long term. However there are immense possibilities for growth abroad that we are not turning a blind eye to that by any means.