The Hack: 5 Ways to Transition to E-Bikes

3. Society, Law and Regulation

Current regulations are far behind the rapid development of two-wheeled EVs, and in some regions, you can’t even register an electric motorcycle for the road. Electric bikes will become mainstream but that will be driven largely by governments and regulations.  In China, the adoption of E-Bikes (mostly E-Scooters) was essentially forced in the past 10 years, and thus China leads the world in E-Bike adoption.  Regardless, because of their simplicity, E-BIkes are already become one of the most frequently used vehicles for short-haul urban transportation.  And in the long view, If motorcycles continue to exist, they must abandon combustion engines [at least until hydrogen or hydro power becomes viable – ed].  In 2030 we’ll see the end of gasoline vehicle sales in Europe, and California will stop selling gas-powered vehicles even sooner.  Although we can’t categorically state that electric is the future of transport, we can definitely say that gasoline power isn’t.  We are likely only at the beginning of seeing motive power alternatives, and electric may end up being a ‘bridge technology’ as we transition to something even more efficient.

On the regulation front, it’s often overlooked that the licensing process to ride a motorcycle. In Europe and especially the UK, is time consuming and complicated, which disincentivises new riders. We have an opportunity to re-write the licensing book today, tailored to electric motorcycles, as electric bikes don’t require the same testing methods. In short, we need a new category of motorcycle license.

4. Tech, Cost and Battery Advancement

The biggest hurdles in tech are cost, range and weight.

Range is often used as a shorthand to trash E-Bikes.  There’s a sense of anxiety around where to get to your next charge,  if you’re away from home. For the majority of riders who ride in urban areas, it’s a non-issue.  But for longer distances, only improvements in battery technology, charging technology, energy density and infrastructure will make range anxiety a non-issue.

Currently it costs manufactures two to three times the cost of an internal combustion motor to build an electric powertrain. That drives the price of the vehicle up, and it’s why so many companies struggle to turn a profit in this segment. Either they match prices for the category and sacrifice their profit margin, or build a super-expensive bike and only sell a few to those who can afford them. The cost comes down to volume, and electric bike companies aren’t producing high enough volumes to bring down unit part prices, making them more expensive than IC engines.

Another challenge is weight versus range; the bigger the battery, the farther you can go, but at the cost of weight. With current lithium-cell technology, the ‘range per pound’ just doesn’t match gasoline, but that could change with solid-state battery technology. It’s still in its infancy, but cells have been developed that are half the size of current lithium cells and store 10 times the capacity, delivering loads more range. This kind of advancement could lead to motorcycles that are lighter and more powerful than we’ve ever seen.

5. Upgraded Infrastructure

In a late-Capitalist society, the government doesn’t provide and enhance electrical infrastructure; it’s the place of businesses, and major equity firms are currently investing in nationwide and international chains of EV charging stations. We’ve seen governments and transport lobbyists push EVs as greener transport, but as far as motorcycling goes the discussion on how people will recharge their machines is left out. A great advantage of petrol over electric is the refill time. Current level 1 and level 2 charging stations still take too long, and require trip planning and extra time. DC fast chargers are becoming increasingly more efficient and provide a much shorter charge time. However, there are not enough fast chargers available for the consequential demand, and until E-Bikes become more popular, they won’t swing the needle on support for fast charging stations.