Charging into the future
Electric bikes are the answer, but what was the question again?
There’s no two ways about it – electric motorcycles are slowly but surely becoming a reality, whether you or me like it or not. Over the last few years electric bikes have developed at a staggering pace. The batteries have got smaller, the range bigger, and the overall riding experience more akin to what you would expect from a motorcycle rather than a milk float. The latest electric bikes even look good. It feels like electric bikes are (almost) there.
Apart from altruistic riders choosing to go green, the drive to electric is also powered by emissions regulations, low emission zones and other barriers being built to stop the dirty old vehicles. Call it taxing, highway robbery or environmental planning, the fact is that many big cities will be no-go zones for old vehicles that can’t meet new emissions standards.
Electric bikes benefit from financial incentives too, such as the government grant for buying a new electric motorcycle. It’s a significant help (up to £1500) but the prices of electric bikes are still so high that it seems like a drop in the ocean, even if you factor in the much lower running costs of an electric bike.
And then there is the question of where does the electricity come from? According to Energy UK, the trade association for the GB energy industry, 42% of the UK’s electricity is produced by burning fossil fuels, 21% by running nuclear reactors, and 24.5% by renewable technologies (stats from 2016). Things have to change significantly for electric vehicles to really be a green option.
Whatever the environmental considerations, the fact is that electric bikes are becoming better quickly. We have tested several in Motorcycle Sport & Leisure, and they can be very impressive. But are they the future? I think it would help if they were sold with big bottles of two-stroke Eau de Cologne and a compilation CD of the fastest laps of the TT. It’s the smells and sounds that I’ll miss…
‘‘‘‘ ‘‘ ThThen th ere is the question of where d oes th e electricity come from?... Things have to change significantly for electric vehicles to be a green option