Before companies like Harley-Davidson and Indian redefined the idea of motorcycles with their loud thumping V-twin engines and laid-back cruisers, most of the world associated motorcycles with short-distance transportation and affordability.
Even today, factors like performance, affordability, and short-range commute motivate many buyers into opting for two-wheelers. These factors are also responsible for the widespread popularity of EVs.
Not only are electric bikes environmentally friendly, but they also offer a more affordable cost of ownership as compared to motorcycles powered by conventional motors which are more prone to mechanical wear and tear.
As the world moves towards electrification many mainstream automobile manufacturers are completely revamping their portfolios to incorporate at least some level of electrification. Here are 10 battery-powered motorcycles that we can't wait to ride in the not-so-distant future.
10 Harley-Davidson LiveWire
117-year-old motorcycle brand Harley-Davidson made history when it introduced its first-ever all-electric motorcycle - the LiveWire at 2019 EIMCA. The bike can accelerate up to the 60 mph mark from a standstill in under four seconds. Customers can now pick up their copies of Black Widow’s ride from Avengers: Age of Ultron at their local Harley dealer.
Harley-Davidson LiveWire is a futuristic offering and sports a design that is photogenic from every angle. The 105 BHP, 86 lb-ft powertrain offers 146 miles of range in the city which drops down to 70 MPH when cruising at high speeds.
9 Ultraviolette F77
Like Lamborghini, Indian electric motorcycle manufacturer Ultraviolet used Jet fighters as its design inspiration and the space frame chassis of KTM RC 390 (along with other equipment from the Austrian bike manufacturer) to put together the F77 battery-only motorcycle.
The motorcycle is priced at just under $4500 and is powered by an AC motor. Ultraviolet claims F77 can deliver a range of almost 100 miles (150 kilometers). Ultraviolette F77 is an electric bike that can even give sportscars a run for their highly exorbitant price tag when it comes to acceleration. The bike hits 60 MPH in just 7 seconds.
8 UM Renegade Thor
American motorcycle manufacturer, UM Motorcycles must have been quite confident when it introduced the company’s first-ever electrified offering. Um was so proud of its battery-powered beast that it named the motorcycle after the Norse God of thunder.
The UM Renegade Thor was powered by a 30 kWh motor and even though this 40 BHP motorcycle was powered by a lithium-ion battery pack, it was offered with a manual transmission that even featured a reverse gear. The electrified powertrain churned out 51.6 lb-ft of peak torque and the bike's top speed was clocked at 112 MPH.
7 Revolt RV400
The Revolt RV400 was one of those bikes that managed to slip under the radar when it was launched earlier this year. Even so, when the first batch of Revolt RV400 was introduced in its home country of India, the bike manufacturer managed to sell its entire batch only 72 hours after the bike went on sale.
Revolt RV400 is powered by a 3.24 kW battery which can be fully charged in about 4.5 hours and customers can also swap the lithium-ion pack at authorized points to enjoy uninterrupted commuting without the need for charging.
6 Switch eScrambler
After having helped develop a battery only conversion kit for a Honda cub as his contribution to Shanghai Customs, Matthew Waddick established Switch Motorcycles and that result was the eScrambler. The motorcycle features a retro design and can accelerate to 62 MPH from a standstill in just 3.2 seconds.
Switch eScrambler is powered by a 67 BHP electric motor and its top speed is rated at 93 MPH. With power figures like these, it is safe to say that eScrambler is a highly underrated motorcycle that has all it needs to take on some of the best scrambler motorcycles in the market.
5 NAWA Racer
NAWA Racer is the other entry on this list that sports a retro-modern styling. The electric motorcycle was the result of a project brief by NAWA Technologies to build a futuristic café racer that can be used to showcase the company's hybrid ultracapacitor battery.
The 0.1 kWh ultracapacitor can retain over five times more power than conventional lithium-ion batteries of similar dimensions. The bike can accelerate up to 60 MPH in just 3 seconds which means this futuristic offering has performance figures to back its Sci-fi aesthetics.
4 VOGE ER10
VOGE ER10 stole the spotlight away from the wide range of conventionally powered two-wheelers that the Chinese motorcycle manufacturer brought to the 2019 EIMCA in Milan. The motorcycle has a top speed of 62 mph thanks to a liquid-cooled electric motor which is mounted on the swingarm of the bike bestowing it with an uncannily attractive design.
The motorcycle only weighs 250 lbs and gets a peak power output of 18.8 BHP. VOGE ER10 was designed for city commute and flaunts one of the most attractive designs in the segment.
3 Zero DSR
American motorcycle manufacturer Zero designed DSR to be a battery-powered all-terrain dominator and the motorcycle rose to the challenge quite impressively. The electric bike comes with a 70 BHP electric motor that also produces 116 lb-ft of peak torque which is impressive for a bike in this segment.
The motorcycle also gets different riding modes which include Sport, Eco, and Custom. The 14.4 kWh battery pack offers a range of 163 miles in city conditions and the top-speed of this offering is rated at 102 MPH.
2 Zero Motorcycle SR/F
Zero Motorcycle SR/F gets a pretty impressive range of 123 miles - and the SR/F is not just a prototype, people can actually buy this thing. In terms of its power figures, the American bike has a peak power output of 110 BHP.
Zero Motorcycle SR/F is also impressively quick for an electrified offering. The bike gets a top speed of 124 MPH and only weighs 485 lbs. The pricing of SR/F variants starts at just $19,495 for the entry-level version.
1 Damon Hypersport
With 200 BHP at the twist of the throttle, the Damon Hypersport uses a green powertrain to give some of the fastest, conventionally-powered supersport bikes a run for their money. Other specifications include a top speed of 200 mph and a range of 200 miles on the highway which drastically improves to almost 300 miles when the bike is ridden economically in city conditions.
Hypersport is the Canadian electric bike manufacturer’s flagship model that also happens to be a smart superbike. Damon Hypersport comes equipped with an AI-powered CoPilot 360-degree warning system.