The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- John Furner
Just as electric cars have begun taking over the automotive market, so too are electric bikes gunning for dominance in the motorcycle market.
And judging by the offerings shown at CES 2024 in Las Vegas, their time may be coming.
Part of the challenge has been packing enough batteries into the compact frame of a bike, but regenerative braking and more efficient batteries have conspired to make possible electric bikes with ranges over 100 miles that can reach speeds over 100 miles per hour.
Rocketing from 0 to 60 miles per hour in three seconds flat, the LiveWire electric motorcycle wasn’t even the fastest bike at the consumer electronics show.
The company’s S2 Del Mar model was just one of a handful of high-performance sporty electric motorcycles being shown this week.
Also on display were bikes from California maker Verge, and Chinese companies Horwin and Yadea.
All of these electric motorcycles boasted varying balances of speed, range, and charging rate – a tricky balance for electric vehicles.
Many internal combustion motorcycles can match their acceleration figures and exceed their range, but the electric bikes appear to be catching up.
The cooling fins on the LiveWire S2 Del Mar’s battery enclosure may give it the look-of an internal combustion motorcycle, but a closer look reveals that this transmission-free electric bike is no Harley Davidson
LiveWire, a fully owned subsidiary of Harley Davidson, sports Mitsubishi electric power – which means it ditched the classic rumble of a Harley for a ‘humming whispering’ noise, Simmons said.
It weighs 432 pounds and twists the tires with 194 pound-feet of torque. Electronic traction control and front wheel mitigation help keep the two-wheeler under control.
In the city it will go 113 miles on a single charge, or 70 miles going 55 miles per hour. And it retails for $15,500.
Chinese brand Horwin, which launched for the first time at CES, had multiple models on display. Its one production model, the Senmenti 0, will begin shipping in November with a suggested retail price of $16,800.
The Senmenti 0 may look like a moped, but it will hit 60 miles per hour in 2.8 seconds.
The Horwin Senmenti 0 is the Chinese motorcycle company’s first worldwide offering. It goes from 0 to 60 in 2.8 seconds
Its range is 186 miles on a full battery charge, but with a governed top speed of 125 miles per hour, your mileage may vary.
It also acts as a power source for camping or other off-the-grid activities, he said.
Horwin also displayed its functional concept bike, called the Senmenti X.
The Horwin Senmenti X is a full production prototype from the newly launched Chinese motorcycle manufacturer
This futuristic-looking motorcycle puts the rider in a lower seated position than your average bike.
Intelligent steering on the front wheel keeps the bike under control at speed.
The company plans to launch the Senmenti X in 2025, Pollack said.
Another Chinese brand, Yadea, announced several motorcycle models that offer slightly lower performance at a significantly lower price point.
For $6,000, customers can have the top-of-the-line Keeness, which goes up to 62 miles per hour and travels 80 miles on a charge.
The Yadea Kemper is the Chinese company’s highest performance electric motorcycle. It is also the cheapest of this bunch
The company also introduced its higher performance bike, the Kemper, which can hit 60 miles per hour in 4.9 seconds and tops out at 99 miles per hour.
The Kemper boasts a charger that is compatible with the Tesla Supercharger, which can give it an 80-percent battery charge in 10 minutes.
California-based Verge builds bikes that look a bit different than the others, with a donut hole through the rear wheel.
The company’s TS ultra is also the fastest of the bunch, hitting 60 miles per hour from a standstill in only 2.5 seconds.
This helped them pack the batteries down low, giving the bike a lower center of gravity to help prevent rollovers.
As a result, the TS Ultra has bigger batteries, giving it the longest range of the motorcycles we saw at the expo: up to 233 miles on a single charge.
The Verge TS Pro offers slightly lower performance than the Ultra, but with a much smaller price tag
It boasts a whole range of electronic blind spot monitors, and can charge its battery in 25 minutes.
It’s also the priciest of the bunch, though, at $44,900.
Verge also offers the TS Pro, which has a lower range of 217 miles, but also a much smaller price tag: $29,900.
The TS Pro can charge in 35 minutes and hit 60 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds.
