The Future | Firefly

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The Future of Motorcycles is Here

The last five years has seen significant development in electric vehicles with there already being a massive shift in peoples preferences for petrol and diesel fuelled cars to electric, although petrol engined motorcycles dominate the roads of the United Kingdom.

Our Changing Times

Personal transportation is changing in response to minimising the effects of climate change as the world's population continually expands, particulalry in major cities. Already in Germany, internal combustion engines are to be banned by 2030 and here in the UK the government is under pressure to bring the current ban forward from 2040 to 2032. Also ULEZ zones have already been introduced in major UK cities levying heavy tolls on heavily polluting vehicles which is set to expand, who knows where this will end.

Meanwhile populations are increasingly moving from rural to urban centers, making for larger cities with greater population density than ever before. We are increasingly becoming an urban world which is putting a strain on roads and public transportation systems. Electric cycles, PLEV's, Scooters and Motorcycles are one answer to this problem.

The Growth of Electric Vehicles

The last five years have seen a remarkable surge in demand for electric vehicles in the UK – new registrations of plug-in cars increased from 3,500 in 2013 to more than 246,000 by the end of October 2019. There has also been a huge increase in the number of pure-electric and plug-in hybrid models available in the UK with many of the top manufacturers in the UK now offering a number of EVs as part of their model range.

There has also been significant development of two wheeled electrically propelled vehicles over the last few years as most will have seen on the streets. True Electric Motorcycles, however, still seems to be embryonic.

Personal Light Electric Vehicle (PLEV)

The invent of PLEV's has taken the country by storm over recent years and indeed the rest of the World as a cheap and entirely portable form of personal transportation. These include 'Push Scooters' along with other varieties of electrically powered personal transportation devices such as hoverboards and skateboards.

It is currently illegal in the UK to ride them on public roads or pavements, although major investors are in negotiations with the government to introduce stricter regulations to allow their use. The chances of any agreement to this appears to be slim any time before BREXIT is concluded however.

Germany on the other-hand realises the ecological benefits PLEV's bring and has taking a much more pragmatic approach to the legalisation of PLEV's and has brought in legislation from Spring 2019 to legalise their use subject to compliance with sensible rules for their use.

Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles (EAPC)

An evolution of the traditional 'Push Bike' incorporating electric motors to assist propulsion. HRMC 2018 Bike import figures show E-Bike sales are on the rise (around 50,000 – 60,000 are sold each year in the UK compared to overall UK bike sales of over 3 million), with evidence pointing towards serious growth over the next 30 years.

Even though there’s a battery, motor and control unit on most electric bikes, electric bikes aren’t like scooters or mopeds. Instead, the electric bike’s battery and motor provide assistance when pedalling, making cycling more effortless.

You do not need a licence to ride an EAPC, nor does the vehicle need to be taxed or insured. All cycles meeting the UK Goverment guidlines are classifed as a normal pedal bike and so can be ridden on cycle paths and anywhere else pedal bikes are allowed.

Its electric motor:

must have a maximum power output of 250 watts
should not be able to propel the bike when it’s travelling more than 15.5mph

Average bikes costing around £1,500 have a range of around 50 miles on a 6 hour charge, making them ideal for urban riding.

Riders must be aged 14 or over, but do not need to hold a driving licence.

Mopeds with a speed range of 25km/h and 45km/h

As noted on the GOV.UK web site, any electric bike that does not meet the EAPC rules is classed as a motorcycle or moped and needs to be registered, taxed and hold third party insurance as a minimum. These are also sometimes referred to as 'Pedelecs'. You’ll need a driving licence to ride one and you must wear a crash helmet.

The government classifies these as:

AM - Mopeds with speed range of 25 km/h to 45 km/h

and

A1 - Light motorcycle up to 11 kW (and a power-to-weight ratio not more than 0.1 kW per kg) and 125 cc

The bike must also be type approved if either:

it does not meet the EAPC rules
it can be propelled without pedalling (a ‘twist and go’ EAPC)

This should have been done by the manufacturer or importer before you bought it. If it’s been type approved, it will have a plate showing its type approval number.

In order to legally ride such vehicles, you must be aged 16 or over for AM and 17 of over for A1 classified bikes and take the Compulsory basic training (CBT) comprising of theory and practical tests. Local Council test centres run the theory tests at a cost of £23 (refer to GOV.UK web site) with a number of private companies running practical tests which take no more than a day and cost around £100. You must pass your full moped or motorcycle test within 2 years, or you have to either take CBT again or stop riding.

CBT tests are valid for 2 years, after which you must either re-take the test or take a test for a full motorcycle licence. There are exemptions to th CBT test for people who have passed their car driving test before 1 February 2001 although whilst those that passed their test before 19 January 2013 still must take the CBT test, they do not have to take it again.

Costs start at around the £2,000 mark for a machine that will travel up to 80 miles also making them ideal for urban riding although perhaps underpowered for A roads.

Electric Motorcycles

The Government has two clasifications for such motorcycles:

A2 - Standard motorcycle up to 35 kW (and a power-to-weight ratio not more than 0.2 kW per kg), bike must not be derived from vehicle more than twice its power. LIcence requirements for these vehicles comprise of either:

Direct Access Route - Riders must be age 19 minumum and take theory and practical examinations.

Progressive Access Route - Riders must be age 19 minimum and have 2 years experience on A1 motorbike and a further practical test

A - Unrestricted motorcycles in size/power, with or without a sidecar, and motor tricycles with power output over 15 kW. LIcence requirements for these vehicles comprise of either:

Direct access route - Riders must be age 24 minimum and take CBT theory and practical

Progressive access route - held an A2 licence for a minimum of 2 years - practical test

Costs for these classifications of motorcycles range considerably from the ones listed in our web site up to tens of thousands for some mainstream manufacturers.

Advantages

Naturally the biggest and most important advantage of Electric Motorcyles like Electric Car's is the reduced environmental impact they represent in having no polluting emissions. Global warming is expected to have far-reaching, long-lasting and, in many cases, devastating consequences for planet Earth, Electric Motorcycle's are not going to save the planet, but they will help.

As urbanisation continues to become more concentrated, air pollution continues to rise at an alarming rate, wreaking havoc on human health. Whilst ULEZ zones have been introduced to encourage cleaner environments, they currently do not extend to the more densely populated areas where the need for a cleaner environment is needed most.

Environment aside, other key facts and advantages include:

Cost - The initial purchase price of Electric Motorcycle's we offer are perhaps at the upper end of their counterpart models having internal combustion engines, although there are big savings in the long run:

Savings on fuel - typicall charge costs range from around 40p for smaller scooters to £1.50 for bigger bikes paid through your usual utility bill. Battery technology is still developing meaning replacements are likely going to perform better and be cheaper.
No Road tax
Reduced servicing costs being simpler technology.
Parking, more and more Boroughs of London are introducing parking Charges with 7 out of the 11 charging or considering to. Hackney are currently going through a consultation process with indications that annual parking cost for non electric motorcycles will start at £60. Electric motorcycles would be £10 - £20 for residents / non-residents. Westminster currently allows electric motorcycles to park for free. Worth considering when comparing purchase prices.

There are also Government grants available for the purchase of new Electric Motorcycles, giving 20% off the purchase price up to a maximum of £1,500. All of our models on offer incorporate this saving where qualifying.

Simplicity - With just a battery, controller and motor making up the key component parts, operation and maintenance is easy compared to petrol engined equivalents:

No more oil changes.
No spark plugs & air filters to change.
No carburettor to adjust, no need for a choke in winter.
With the built in hub motors incorporated into all our models, there is no cogs and chains to oil, adjust and replace.
No alternator & charging system, our mains chargers have no moving parts like lap top chargers which rarely go wrong.
The electric motor and controllers cool themselves so no radiator to top up and thermostats & impellers to change.
No gears, just twist the throttle and go
No more trips to the petrol station - get from A to B in one hit.

Maintenance - The routine maintenance of a internal combustion engine incliudes change of oil, filters, spark plugs, coolants, and chain adjustment, none of which are required for the Electric Motorcycles we offer. These comprise of three principal parts, namely Battery, Inverter / control unit and Motor, each of which being independent and easily replaced if defective.

Power - With 100% instant torque and power available at the twist of the throttle, , you get a rapid acceleration that a fuel powered bike cannot match. The delivery of this torque is linear, soyou won’ t get the surge feeling you get with fuel-powered bikes.

Noise Pollution - Silence is golden, particulary in urban areas where the roar of an engine can be annoying. Electric motorcycles are virtually silent which does introduce a new hazard to pedestrians and other vehicle drivers in that they can creep up on the unsuspecting.

Refuelling - Couldn't be simpler with electric motorcycles, batteries can be removed from our smaller scooters and charged from home or at your desk at work. No more visits to petrol stations.