A couple of days ago, Zero Motorcycles->ke3362 named Samuel Paschel as its new Chief Executive Officer. The new boss comes with some mileage under his belt with a BS in engineering and various, high-level management, development and marketing jobs in his rear-view mirror. He brings 20-plus years of experience to the table, and comes in at an exciting time for Zero. One of its main competitors was the Empulse->ke5609 from the now-defunct Victory Motorcycles->ke1801, and although Victory fell under the Polaris->ke4818 umbrella, there has been no indication so far that they will produce that electric bike->ke3364 of Isle of Mann fame elsewhere. Meanwhile, Zero is about the only game in town if you want a capable EV motorcycle, and the company should be looking to capitalize on Victory's demise. Enter Mr. Paschel.

Continue reading for more on the new Zero CEO.

What Does It Mean?

According to the factory: “The entire board is delighted that Sam is taking the helm of Zero Motorcycles,” said Philippe Amouyal, Managing Director of The Invus Group, LLC, the investment group that has fueled the growth of Zero Motorcycles with its strong financial backing. “Sam is an inspirational leader with deep understanding of enthusiast consumers, passion sports, product innovation, technology, marketing and channels.  His leadership and management acumen will help Zero’s experienced management team further accelerate the industry transformation it is leading.  Zero has embodied the appeal and thrill of electric motorcycles and Sam will lead the company to amaze and delight an ever-growing family of riders.”

Will this new captain at the helm make the most of the market vacuum? Can the recent expansions of the U.S. EV-charging network breathe new life into a burgeoning market still in its infancy? Time will certainly tell, but Mr. Paschel certainly has an opportunity here to advance Zero into new territory at the absolute top of the N.A. electric-bike manufacturers.