Love that his logic involves looking at sales of niche e-bike makers like Zero and Mission. The same Mission who is selling bikes for north of $30K...Skew Much?
Then again, the core readership of motley fool is white middle aged americans, so pandering to the base..... If you're reading, its for you
Several good points such as a limited projected expansion of the e-motorcycle market but the limited range (50 miles) and recharge time (3.5 hrs) is what really kills it IMO.
Of note around older Harley riders it was actually well received as a concept motorcycle by Harley. I didn't hear anyone actually making negative comments about it although no one believed that Harley would produce it.
The "loud pipes saves lives" argument in the article is invalid as stock Harley's don't come with loud pipes. Yes, you can order a Harley with a Screaming Eagle exhaust that is louder but that isn't a stock Harley exhaust system.
I think that the issues with range and charging time will be improved over the next few years though. HD won't build the Livewire for a while still, so by that time some of these issues could be taken care of.
I think that saying that loud pipes save lives is just an excuse for people who want to make a lot of noise. Its one thing to have loud pipes and it is another to have ridiculously loud pipes. Even if loud pipes save lives, I'd rather have quieter streets and have a few more people get into accidents.
I gather that the acceleration of electric bikes is superior to that of traditional motorcycles. I've yet to be able to drive an electric motorcycle, but I'd be interested to see just how big the difference is. I watched a video of a dirt bike race where one was electric and the others were petrol. The electric motorcycle got off the line so fast. It was crazy!
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