Like the automobile, the world of two-wheelers is embarking on an unprecedented energy transition. In recent years, many electric motorcycles and scooters have appeared, but few models display such interesting autonomy as what we can find in the automobile.
The electric car will soon be part of our daily lives. In 2035, European legislation will prohibit the sale of new thermal cars. By then, the vehicle fleet will have been largely electrified, and manufacturers are beginning to take action by accelerating the electrification of their range.
Even if it shows a little less, the world of two-wheelers has also begun its energy transition. Electric scooters are now very numerous on the market, and they should gradually replace thermal scooters of small, medium and even large displacement. Less noisy, more agile, less polluting… Electric scooters have many advantages, especially in urban areas where EPZ rules will gradually tighten.
But as in cars, the world of electric two-wheelers does not escape certain questions, in particular those related to autonomy. And looking at the technical data sheet of electric scooters, we cannot say that the autonomy necessarily reassures customers. Depending on the model, this varies between 80 and 120 km. A figure that can be scary, but remember that the use is not the same compared to a car, and even a motorcycle.
More and more electric scooters
It will certainly not have escaped your notice, especially if you live in an urban environment, but electric scooters are more and more numerous. Whether self-service, dedicated to delivery professionals or even sold to individuals, electric scooters are flourishing in our cities. Some political decisions notably encourage the energy transition at this level, like the town hall of Paris for example which, since the start of the school year, has made the parking of thermal two-wheelers in its streets chargeable. The only exception: electric two-wheelers.
There are several dozen available in France, and these generally come from Asian manufacturers that we were not used to seeing in our country. Manufacturers of traditional two-wheelers like Yamaha, Kawasaki or Honda have many ambitions in this area, but these models will not arrive on the market for at least two years.
The electric scooters sold are often 50 cm equivalents3. But there are also more powerful models (but not necessarily with more range), such as the new BMW CE-04. An equivalence 125 cm3, but with sports scooter skills, all combined with a futuristic look. With 130 km of autonomy announced, the BMW CE-04 is one of the scooters that have the most autonomy today. Admittedly, compared to the car, this may not seem like much and put off some customers (the price of the scooter, from 12,150 euros, must also put off more than one), but do we really need more for this type of vehicle?
Why does their range hardly exceed 100 km?
Silence S01 Plus, Super Soco CPx, Niu MQI GT Evo… Here is the non-exhaustive list of the best-sellers on our market. Their autonomy oscillates between 75 and 150 km on paper. In real condition, it will take a little less. But why are they not more enduring?
Already, there are technical constraints. A scooter with more autonomy must carry a larger battery. And a scooter that must be handy and of a rather small size to have a real interest in town, the battery should always be as compact as possible.
In fact, the innovations will mainly come from battery manufacturers, where technological advances will undoubtedly make it possible, in the long term, to have smaller batteries with better energy density. On this subject, solid-state batteries should revolutionize everything in a few years.
And even so, these scooters are above all intended for urban use which very rarely exceeds 100 km on a daily basis. Thanks to energy recovery during deceleration and braking, these scooters recover quite a bit of energy in urban environments, which allows them to display interesting autonomy.
Regarding charging, there is always the thorny problem of charging stations, but the question does not necessarily arise for these small-displacement scooters. Why ? For the simple and good reason that with their removable battery, it is possible to park your scooter in the street at night, take the battery with you and then go and recharge it at home.
On a Silence 01 Plus, even if the battery weighs around 40 kg, it is quite easy to transport it since it has a telescopic handle system and integrated wheels. By plugging it into a simple mains socket, the full of electrons can be done between 6 and 8 hours, that is to say a good night’s sleep.
The thorny case of the electric motorcycle
If electric scooters have become democratized, it is much less the case concerning the motorcycle. The motorcycle is a universe a little apart where its use is in most cases a hobby and not a utilitarian use. Even if some combine pleasure and practicality, the motorcycle remains above all a leisure machine where the internal combustion engine is still preferred by customers for various reasons (engine sound, vibrations, etc.).
100% electric motorcycles are still rare on the market. There are some interesting small displacements, such as the Cake Kalk&, Super Soco and other Easy-Watts e-Roadster, but they do not necessarily correspond to the expectations of motorcyclist customers. To find equivalences to large displacements, there are a few models such as the Zero Motorcycles SR, the Energica Eva or the Harley-Davidson LiveWire, but their prices easily exceed 20,000 euros, and even exceed 30,000 euros in the case of LiveWire.
And the constraints are also multiple for the electric motorcycle. For leisure use, the distances are getting longer and the electric motorcycle can be complicated for long rides. Take the example of a Zero SR/S: it claims a combined range of 243 km, and even up to 365 km in urban areas. Figures that are reassuring, but during a walk in places often far from cities, the 243 km of autonomy will melt like snow in the sun, especially if the pace is sustained.
And to recharge an electric motorcycle, it’s like the car: you will have to charge at home or find a terminal, the battery is not removable like on most electric scooters.
In reality, the difference in autonomy between an electric motorcycle and a thermal motorcycle is not that huge. Except that charging times and the density of the charging network can still be an obstacle to its use. This is one of the reasons mentioned when we ask the question to motorcyclists elsewhere, since 90% of them do not intend to go electric in the near future.
Moreover, if performance can justify a switch to electric in the automotive world, in that of the motorcycle, this is much less the case. Indeed, in the world of four wheels, a Tesla Model 3 Performance billed at 66,490 euros can easily stand up to a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S billed at 140,000 euros in terms of performance.
On a motorcycle, powerful electric machines offer more sensations when accelerating than some thermal motorcycles, but the gap is not as significant. The performance of an MT-09, a sports roadster sold by Yamaha from 10,000 euros, is quite close to that of a Zero SR/S sold for at least 20,000 euros.
Why could this change for the motorcycle?
The use of the conditional for the above question is probably not necessary, because it will change for motorcycles, as for cars. They too are affected by the law voted by the European Parliament concerning the cessation of sales of new thermal models in 2035. Things will obviously move more slowly than the automobile, the motorcycle environment being more conservative and its use being closely linked to the notion of pleasure and therefore not necessarily essential for most customers on a daily basis.
However, more and more manufacturers are working on electric motorcycles, including traditional brands. But today’s technology does not necessarily allow them to offer accessible electric motorcycles. If some manufacturers with a strong image like Harley-Davidson allow themselves to do so, on the side of Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki, it is hard to imagine how to sell an electric motorcycle twice as expensive as their most powerful thermal roadster.
As in cars, these technologies will be brought to democratization. Yamaha will soon offer an electric scooter with the E01 and are working on the electric motorcycle. Honda has gone even further and has already announced three fun-oriented electric two-wheelers, certainly three motorcycles, but also a brand new scooter. But this will not happen without technological evolution, and the Japanese manufacturer is working on semi-solid batteries with better energy density.
Nevertheless, the company clarifies that for the time being it will not interrupt the development and production of internal combustion engines, precisely because of the strong presence of two-wheelers in areas where less attention is paid to problems environmental, for now.
And it will obviously be necessary to multiply the charging points and reduce the charging time to be able to replace the thermal park of the two wheels with electric versions. Two tracks that manufacturers and public authorities have been exploiting in recent months.
To follow us, we invite you to download our Android and iOS application. You can read our articles, files, and watch our latest YouTube videos.