Top Five Electric Motorbikes On The Market, Including Zero And Vespa
BMW launched an electric scooter back in 2014. The Isle of Man TT has an entire race devoted to electric bikes. You may not have heard them coming, well you wouldn’t, would you, but electric motorbikes are here and more than ready to give conventional bikes a run for their money.
Imagine, no more petrol to buy, no road tax, no congestion charge, no expensive regular service, no noise, no emissions. Save money and help save the planet in the process. For the best prices always check what’s available second hand and of course, compare your insurance options to secure a good deal. Here are five of the most interesting machines on the market.
Zero SR
Light and sporty, the Zero SR looks just like a regular bike until you notice that there’s no exhaust. There’s no gearbox, no clutch, no way to stall, just twist and go. This is the perfect machine for urban commuting. Unlike a conventional bike the Zero SR won’t get hot in traffic and your hand won’t ache from working the clutch. The entire bike can be configured with a smartphone app, enabling you to set top speed, torque, engine braking and energy regeneration levels. An overnight charge of nine hours should see you through a sixty-mile commute with battery to spare. Expect to pay upwards of £12,000.
Vespa Electricca
If you are after a city runabout with retro appeal and the latest technology then this is the machine for you. With the performance you’d expect from a 50cc machine, this scooter would give you a sixty-mile range on a four-hour charge. Its battery means that it’s weightier than a conventional machine so it comes with a reverse gear in case you need to wriggle backwards. It also has a key operated bike finder for times when you lose it in a sea of parked vehicles. Expect to pay upwards of £5,000.
Energica Ego
0 to 60 in three seconds, a top speed of 150 mph, any preconceptions that you had about electric bikes being slow you can dispense with now. At 258kg it’s a heavy bike at slow speed but like the Vespa it has a reverse gear to help out in traffic. It has a range of up to 120 miles with a snappy charge time of just three and a half hours, though it’s promised that the 2019 model will charge at 50% faster. Price? Around £25,000.
Brutus V9
This big American bruiser sets out to demonstrate there’s nothing wimpy about going electric. Weighing in at a very hefty 355kg it has an impressive range of 280 miles and a top speed of 115mph. Buy one stateside for $32,500.
Lightning LS-218
Quite simply the fastest production electric motorcycle in the world, with a top speed in excess of 218mph and a 2 second 0-60, this is not a machine for the novice. Priced around $38,000.
