We look at the important electric launches from EICMA, an event where Honda finally showed seriousness to electric mobility and came with a mid-size electric sports motorcycle and some scooters. Also, unveilings from Zero, Silence, Can-Am, Kymco and many more.
Are EVs loaded with features that are really smart? Do they create a high-enough barrier to entry? Is there an exclusivity? How long can it stay? What happens after that?
Often what the E2W world calls technology is a smart integration of sensors and rider aids, controlled by software. The ICE world is more mechanical, more metallurgical, more fundamental. What happens when the ICE world figures out software? Can the E2W Technology edge be maintained?
What is common between Cake, Arcimoto, Arc, and Fuell? They created products that were special. Maybe too special as sales never took off. At times, passionate manufacturers go too deep into their product passion and take their eyes off the reason why the product has to be created - the customer.
Gogoro plunged into a crisis due to the Taiwanese government's enquiry into its claimed local sourcing of motor controllers on the Viva model. The Founder-CEO has resigned...
By going slow, Honda has allowed Chinese and Indian start-ups to leap-frog ahead. As the Japanese giant wakes up, is the market evolving too fast for Honda?
Honda controls 35-percent of the global two-wheeler market. Yet, when it comes to electric two-wheelers, the Japanese brand has been slow. Is it just them being typically Japanese, or have they been deliberately lazy?
For a new technology area, the E2W world is sadly starved of innovation. That may be a controversial statement but we feel most E2W manufacturers are focused more on pretend-innovative than actually being innovative
Heritage machines are never about numbers. Riders seek an emotional connection with them. So if a new brand focuses on industrial design to get eyeballs and target that emotional connection, more power to them. Also, that may be a good template for electric motorcycle manufacturers to follow.
How fast can a nascent market get crowded? We see that happening already with many startups developing electric motocrossers. Agreed that this is a promising format but overcrowding always means some will sink.
The motocrosser/trial format is the best fit for electric powertrains. You need high torque, yet ride shorter distances and for shorter time-periods. A perfect match, but are we overdoing it?
With more highly populated African countries enhancing power generation and cleaning up their grids, electric mobility is finding a natural fit against high-cost oil. The BodaBodas open a huge market, potentially worth USD 7.5 bn
