Tesla, GM, Yamaha, & Ducati All On The Electric Bike Bandwagon
Electric bicycles are having a moment. Major global companies which make cars and motorcycles are suddenly delivering or talking about delivering electric bicycles. What’s going on?
Electric bicycles are having a moment. Major global companies which make cars and motorcycles are suddenly delivering or talking about delivering electric bicycles. What’s going on?
Of the four major Japanese two-wheeler manufacturers, only Yamaha appears to be ahead of the game, with Kawasaki at least showing strong signs of understanding the market. Honda and Suzuki have some catching up to do.
While bikers who yearn for the kando of a Yamaha electric motorcycle are still waiting, this is a company with a long-running commitment to leading electrification in the two-wheel and other spaces. Yamaha will deliver a motorcycle when it can do so with a capability set and price that make sense, and it will do a very good job of it.
Recently, Harley-Davidson announced plans for multiple different electric vehicles: three motorcycles, three scooter-category bikes and even an electric-assist bicycle. Most of these are supposed to be on the road by 2022. It won’t help the company. It has serious brand issues that it must overcome, and it’s hard to see how it will.
Motorcycle sales are half what they were 10 years ago. Can electric motorcycles reignite interest in riding a bike?
The MOTIV.e City Car EV — currently in the process of being developed by the Formula 1 designer Gordon Murray — is still moving forward, according to recent reports. The EV is being developed by Murray for possible wide release by Yamaha. According to these recent reports, this “possible” release … [continued]
EV news buffet below. Eat it up. Lumilor is showing off a luminescent Tesla Model S in order to advertise its electroluminescent coating system. (EV Obsession | GAS2) There are now 250,000 electric cars on US road. Any guesses how long until we hit half a million? (EV Obsession) Yamaha has filed a … [continued]
Tokushima City in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan, is known mainly for its 3-day dance festival in late summer, and is fairly popular with tourists. It would like to be known for its natural beauty and efforts in preserving the environment. To that end, the city is promoting ecologically friendly tourism.