Electric motorbikes bring green revolution to inner city transport
Electric motorbikes, containing 60 per cent less parts than a typical internal combustion engine motorcycle, might be the best new way to zip around the city.
A lightweight, affordable, modular electric motorbike with the ability to upgrade its battery, software, fast-charging sockets and rear-wheel motor looks set to arrive in the US and Europe in early 2024, with Australia and New Zealand expected to follow soon after. Dubbed an “e-commuter”, the Fllow, pictured, weighs 180kg, almost 70kg less than the LiveWire electric motorbike from Harley Davidson, and costs the equivalent of $17,550, less than half of the LiveWire’s local price tag of $49,995, plus on-road costs.
Fuell, Fllow’s manufacturer, says the low price point is the result of the e-bike containing 60 per cent less parts than a typical internal combustion engine motorcycle, making it 40 per cent faster to assemble and allowing for speedier production.
Touted as having “superbike” acceleration, the Fllow’s 750Nm of torque allows it to get from zero to 100km/h in 3.5 seconds and reach a sustained maximum speed of 140km/h, with a 10kWh lithium-ion battery pack delivering a range of up to 240km, placing it slightly ahead of the LiveWire’s 235km range.
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Designed by renowned Harley Davidson ex-engineer Erik Buell, who started Fuell with French financiers, the Fllow, which can fast-charge from 20 per cent to 90 per cent in around 15 minutes, has been developed as an emissions-free transport solution for high-density inner-city environments.
“When I look to the future, there is one compelling solution for urban and suburban transportation – two wheels in a single track with green power. Whether it’s a human-pedalled bicycle, a pedal-assisted electric bicycle, or an electric motor, two wheels are the clear solution for urban mobility,” Buell says.
“In Europe where streets are smaller, the support and infrastructure for two-wheelers are exploding. In the US it is starting as well. In Asia, two-wheelers have always been the solution, and now the growth is in making them greener, less polluting, and less noisy.
“Replacing the 60 million new gasoline-powered two-wheelers sold annually with electricity creates a huge impact on quality of life.”
Fuell says it will need over 3000 reservations for the Fllow in order to launch a crowd-funding campaign, with deliveries planned to start early 2024 in countries that accept US and EU certifications, before reaching Down Under shortly after.
Electric motorbike registrations in Australia grew by 107 per cent in 2021, while motorbike sales here and in New Zealand hit a 15-year high with 100,000 combined units sold across both countries, resulting in several e-bike manufacturers earmarking the territory for product launches.
Italian electric motorbike brand Energica has already launched sales of its high-performance motorbikes in Japan and Australia, including the Eva Ribelle, Ego and EsseEsse9+, all of which come with approximately 257km of combined city and highway range.
Australian company Savic Motorcycles is also expected to release its C-Series electric motorbike in 2023, and Honda, the world’s largest motorbike manufacturer, has unveiled plans to have at least 10 electric motorbikes on sale by 2025, with a target of selling 3.5 million e-bikes by the end of the decade, representing 15 per cent of its total global motorbike sales.
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