If small electric scooters find a certain audience in large cities, sales of larger models do not take off, between the absence of models from major brands and lack of appetite among motorcyclists.
The electric motor is struggling to find its audience among two-wheeler drivers. While 13.3% of cars sold were electric in 2022, according to figures from the Automotive Platform, only just over 3% of two-wheelers sold last year were zero-emission models. In 2022, out of nearly 183,000 motorcycles and scooters registered in France, electric only represented 5,661 machines.
Sales on the rise among specialists
Yet the planets seemed aligned to boost electric sales. The offer has started to expand with more manufacturers, in particular specialized brands. The latter have also progressed last year: +447% for SuperSocco and +78% for Zero. In the 50 and 125 cc scooters, it’s also off to a flying start with 264 sales at Zeway, 636 at Niu, 365 at Motron and 212 at eBroh. Figures which in volume remain almost confidential.
A specialist in two-wheelers with its Motorrad division, BMW is also doing well with its new large electric scooter CE-04 and is an exception in a very complicated market. Before the launch, the order book was full and BMW planned to sell around 1500 in 2022. They sold a thousand more, which is a real hit. In 2022, the CE-04 was the 11th best-selling two-wheeler overall in France.
The electric Harley has not found its audience
Another argument that could support this transition to electric: the sensitivity around environmental problems backed by legislation that promotes the use of electric scooters and motorcycles in the city, in particular by excluding them from paid parking in the city. But this legislation has only boosted sales of low-powered scooters, which, with an entry ticket of 1500 euros, have even become competitors of electric bicycles.
It is clear that on a vehicle which remains above all a vehicle of passion, motorcyclists do not want to go electric. And the major manufacturers, Japanese or European, do not seem to believe in their metamorphosis.
To date, apart from BMW, only Harley-Davidson has officially embarked on the adventure of the electric motorcycle with the LiveWire. In 2022, it barely sold 600. Worldwide. A commercial result light years away from the sales of recorded thermal motorcycles which flirt with 200,000 units sold worldwide.
Big wait-and-see brands
As a specialist in the sector explained to BFM Business, as long as the four Japanese giants – Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki – do not get started, the electric motorcycle will not take off.
And if they do, it’s not for now. At the end of 2021, before the international tensions caused by the war in Ukraine, Kawazaki had promised to present a dozen electric models from 2025. The Japanese manufacturer could start with a hybrid motorcycle before going to 100% electric. The prototype of a thermal/electric Ninja 400 is in preparation to combine the experience of sound and engine vibrations while providing a response to the carbon neutral era.
In Europe, the Italian Ducati is working on the MotoE, an electric motorcycle cut out for competition. But for the general public, it will take a few years before the technology improves in terms of performance, autonomy and weight.
