Electrification in the Motorcycle Industry: Latest Updates & Future Trends

Unlike the passenger cars market, electrification in the motorcycle market has not yet developed and widespread. Until today, when it comes to two wheels, electric is only seen as a real alternative in the Scooter segment, but something is also changing with regards to motorcycles with larger displacements and performance, despite the recent fall of a big player like Energica.

Electric Motorcycle Market size was valued at USD 11.3 billion in 2023 and is estimated to register a CAGR of over 3.5% between 2024 and 2032. Growing concerns about climate change and environmental degradation have led to increased awareness among consumers about the impact of traditional internal combustion engine vehicles. Electric motorcycles are perceived as a more environmentally friendly alternative, as they produce zero tailpipe emissions during operation. Also, companies operating in this space are actively integrating sustainable practices to carve a healthy growth trajectory for the electric motorcycle industry.

In fact, on the market there are models such as the ZERO DSR/X (Touring segment) which reaches a range of 288 km, the Lightning LS-218 (Sport segment) which is the fastest electric motorcycle that can circulate on the road and the Evoke 6061 (Custom/Heritage segment) which can be recharged up to 80% in 15 minutes. These models wink at all fans of historic models such as the Honda CBR1000RR or the BMW R1250GS e R NineT. However, both ZERO Motorcycle and Lightning Motorcycle (American brands) and also Evoke Electric Motorcycles (Chinese brand) are niche brands specialized in electric models, which historical global players therefore do not look at carefully.

In any case, a global brand like Harley-Davidson has recently included a completely electric model in its range: the Livewire, even if the Milwaukee company has decided to keep the two motorcycle makes, namely Harley Davidson and Livewire, separate, but nowadays Livewire has a partnership with Kymco. However, the new S2 Del Mar is exactly what you would expect from a Harley Davidson, but with a more modern touch and attractive design, top speed of 165 km/h and range of around 200 km, so it would seem to work. Another global brand, although in the off-road sector, such as Can-Am, is now entering in the market with two all-electric 2-wheel motorcycles named “Pulse” and “Origin”. This marks a new era for BRP entering into the business of urban mobility.

Furthermore, another major player in the motorcycle market, Honda, has set a goal to electrify 15% of its motorcycles by 2030 as part of its global strategy and to offer more than 30 electric models by 2030 (also including ATVs, Scooter and Kids Bike), guaranteeing a complete range to meet the different needs of customers.

In addition, also Triumph officially announced the completion of the TE-1 electric mobility project, now almost ready for launch on the market, while Kawasaki in the meantime will launch an electric version of its acclaimed Ninja sports bike. Ducati is also investing in this technology and is improving its skills on a daily basis, and when the time comes it will create an electric model (also taking advantage from the support of its own group, Volkswagen, already widely present in the market with electric car models).

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