Don't get it twisted, I love electric motorcycles.
I have no hate in my heart for the ongoing electric revolution. There aren't just the benefits to the whole saving the planet thing and leaving it better for my children, but also practical things like just being able to hear the wind whipping as I run single track. Or better stalking big game, roasting tires with wanton abandon, allowing folks who can't work a clutch to enjoy bikes, and learning to better pop wheelies in the comfort of my own backyard.
Screw you, HOA!
But as much as those benefits are real and tangible, there's one major issue when it comes to the widespread adoption of electric motorcycles, and that's range.
Now I know that seems like an easy gripe, as it's a gripe shared by many EV haters and pundits alike. But the problem of range is tenfold worse than when you talk about four-wheeled EVs. See, unlike electric cars, trucks or SUVs, you can't hide a big battery when you're talking electric bikes.
They're small things in design and, whenever a company attempts to hide a large battery (cough, cough, LiveWire), you get a pig of a motorcycle that still doesn't have enough range. Even the biggest battery bikes can't return more than 120 miles per real-world charge, i.e. the Zero DSR/X. So you end up with a heavy motorcycle with a big battery that takes forever to charge and still won't get you all that far.
So at present, electric motorcycles are really only good for folks with short commutes, as city runabouts or, on the opposite end of the spectrum, as ready-to-rock dirt bikes ala the Stark Varg and upcoming Dust.Moto. But even those have their challenges, as the city motorcycles will face lackluster charging infrastructure or chargers that won't work with their motorcycles. Early adopters might also find that their EV motorcycles might not be allowed in their parking garages as the building's insurance won't cover them if they catch fire.
All of this is to say that electric motorcycles just won't work for the vast majority of folks until solid-state batteries come into being.
Solid-state batteries have been around for ages now, but mostly in electronics like your phone, laptop, and other personal devices. They're incredibly small, but offer incredible energy density and they've become the white whale of electric vehicle manufacturers as EV adoption has grown. Why? Because if a manufacturer can get the same or better miles per charge out of a smaller, lighter battery pack, that'd open up a lot of doors to design, engineering, and cost of production.
And for motorcycle manufacturers, it'd allow these companies to start building electric motorcycles that are on par in terms of range as their internal combustion siblings.
Recently, I talked about how Can-Am's new Origin and Pulse electric motorcycles just don't have enough range, and I stand by that assertion. But let's break it down a little further. The Origin is supposedly a dual-sport/adventure motorcycle. A bike capable of going on and off-road. Now let's talk about a motorcycle that's equally as capable, but gasoline-powered, i.e. my current favorite the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450.
The two have very similar missions. They're meant to get their riders out on adventures and explore dirt trails, while still getting them to and from work, the shops, or to a local eatery. But where they diverge is in terms of range and usability. From full to zero, the Can-Am is rated for a max of 71 miles per charge combined. And once you're at zero, it'll take about six hours to fully charge up—Can-Am states 20-80% charge will take three hours and ten minutes using a Level 2 fast charger.
Contrast that with the Himalayan 450's 280-mile per tank range. Or that it can fill up in less than five minutes and be back on its way.
Here's where folks in the comments will chime in and say, "But the average commute is under 40 miles! You don't need that much range!" I'll remind those people that we're talking motorcycles. That average commute is by car. Motorcycles, however, are used for adventures and rides and long rides at that. For the most part, people aren't using their motorcycles to get to work. We're using them for fun. And hitting some small fire roads on the Origin, but then immediately getting worried that you may not make it home if you really romp on the motorcycle isn't what I'd call fun.
Solid-state batteries have the promise of enabling that fun.
Samsung recently showed off a 600-mile plus solid-state battery. Now, it was meant for a car, but you can easily see that the technology is coming, and once it does, that'll trickle down and get sized down to better suit the motorcycling industry. Imagine not a 600-mile battery, but a true 200-mile plus battery that weighs the same as the batteries we have now. Not only that, but solid-state batteries have the potential for faster charging, too. So each part of the electric motorcycling experience would be bettered.
So what am I getting at with this column? Well, for those of you considering an electric motorcycle, maybe hold off unless you enjoy being a part of that early adopter community. I particularly don't, as I expect things to work. And at present, it just doesn't for the vast majority of motorcyclists. I still think these early EVs are pretty cool, even in their limited-use capacity. And I think some of the engineering bits in them are also pretty wild to see put onto mass-production motorcycles.
But without a battery that can adequately keep up with an internal combustion motorcycle, I think I'll pass for now. Hopefully, solid-state batteries come sooner rather than later, as once they do, I think the electric motorcycle revolution will finally take off.
