Diddy little electric scooters and e-bicycles might be great for crowded Asian and European cities, but do they have any relevance to riding conditions in America?

Is What is good for Asia and Europe Good For America Too?

Harley Davidson might have stolen a march on their major motorcycle manufacturing rivals with the launch of the Livewire electric motorcycle but that doesn't necessarily mean that America itself is ready for the electric revolution that is not only inevitable but coming fast to Asia and Europe.

Yes, Indian has dipped a toe in the electric pool with the recent launch of the eFTR but that is a toy, not a serious transportation solution. But look at the products of Indian and Harley and they are still the large-displacement behemoths they have always been, built specifically for the wide open space that is America.

In Asia and Europe, popular bikes have mirrored the congested nature of the two continents: small, economical, easy to operate machines suited to the crowded cities where space is at a premium, even for something as frugal in its use of space as a motorbike.

Into this framework, the electric motorbike fits perfectly: distances are generally small and so are the parking spaces. Congestion charges and emission taxes are playing an increasingly dominant role in how personal transport is viewed. even though public transport is extensive and works well, there are still a lot of individuals and businesses that want and need their own transport.

Now, I have to admit that I do not live in America so I have no real way of understanding the impact that electric motorcycles and scooters have had on the urban environment, but I'm willing to bet that your sprawling cities with their miles of freeways aren't exactly brimming with whizzing, silent scooters.

It's not a criticism, but I suspect that the average American motorcyclist, just like the average American car owner, likes and appreciates the comfortable and well-equipped large motorcycle, no matter where he or she lives. And why shouldn't they? Your cities are not medieval villages that have spread crazily outwards and are warrens of tiny lanes. Your cities were built for the car: the car is an indivisible part of the architecture of your cities. Your cities don't have to apologise for the large car or motorcycle, they are there to celebrate it.

Ironically, the American love of large displacement engines is one of the very reasons why electrification is so necessary in America, due to the pollution levels. Equally ironically, America is home to the major electric car manufacturers. Cars can be made to travel further on electricity due to their being able to carry a larger quantity of batteries. Thus, I suspect that, until the issue of range is fully addressed, electric motorcycles will not take off in the US as they are starting to do in Europe and Asia.

That's not to say electrification won't be as inevitable in America as it will be in the rest of the world, but it will be interesting to see what form the American electric motorcycle takes when you take into account the distances involved and the societal pressures on the manufacturers.