Page 24 - Motorcycle Trader (February 2020)

t seems a week doesn’t go by
without someone launching a new
electric bike. In many respects, the
electric vehicle (and particularly
motorcycle) market feels very muc
like history repeating. Think back
Ito the early days of motorcycles an
cars, say a century ago. Makers seemed
to pop up every second week, often usin
proprietary components to get their
designs to the market, and trying all sor
of weird and wonderful configurations
and technologies.
That’s very much the case with electric
bikes at the moment. Not only are the
established motorcycle players dipping a
toe in the water, but whole new enterpris
have sprung up around the idea. Let’s try
a few model names on you. Ever heard
of: ARC Vector, Lito Sora, Energica Ego,
Tarform or even Australia’s first electric
motorcycle company Savic Motorcycles?
All were made available for pre-order by
their assorted company websites. Howev
in a couple of cases, I don’t think we saw ABOVE: The Italian Energica and Suzuki TS) for $6500 rideaway.
anything after the initial prototype, which Ego is the basis of the one- Savic, meanwhile, driven by its young
make Moto-E Cup, which
may or may not have been real. Welcome to started last year at selected founder Dennis Savic (picture, opposite
motorcycling’s version of the wild west. MotoGP meetings. It blotted page), will offer three road-going variants
Of those brands we’ve just mentioned, its copybook before the of its cafe racer-style C-Series this year –
Energica is so far the one that shows most series even began when an the Omega ($12,990), Delta ($16,990) and
promise, if it can get its pricing under electrical fire wiped out the Alpha ($23,990) – all of which come with
warehouse containing all
control. the race bikes. The series, a three-year warranty.
Then there are Australia’s more recent featuring Aussie Josh Hook, You have to admire the courageous
players including Savic and Surron, the latter began later in the season corporate statements from some players,
of which offers the 50kg Lite Bee L1e dual- with a new fleet of bikes. who have so far demonstrated little.
sport bike (think in the lineage of Yamaha DT For example, Tarform promises it is
“an automotive start-up with a mission
to set a new standard for two-wheeled
transportation”. I’m sure those rank
amateurs like Honda and Harley will be
fascinated to hear that!
Taking an entirely different approach
are companies such as NAWA
Technologies, which build concept
bikes as a means of promoting their
components. In this case, the company
builds all sorts of interesting variations
on capacitors. If you combine a super-
capacitor with a lithium battery, you
in theory have a very potent and fast-
charging energy source for an electric
vehicle. That’s something the company
highlighted with the prototype NAWA
Technologies Racer, built for the 2020
CES technology show in Las Vegas.