World's Best Electric Bikes

As the world gets ready to ditch petrol power and switch to electric, we take a quick look at some of the best electric motorcycles on the planet

- Sameer Kumar

Electric motorcycles are now getting to the point where they will soon be viable mass-market alternatives to conventional machines

It’s inevitable, irreversible. There’s no going back. The move from internal combustion to full electric is well on its way, and the pace of development in batteries and electric motors has picked up in the last few years. Electric motorcycles are now getting to the point where they will soon be a viable mass-market alternatives to conventional machines. Up until now, small, independent companies have led development in the electric two-wheelers space, but they haven’t been able to scale up in a big way because of their limited resources. That’s all set to change, however.

According to a detailed market research study published recently by P&S Intelligence, the global market for electric motorcycles is expected to go up in value from around US$5.9 billion in 2019 to US$10.53 billion by 2025. With increasing concerns about protecting the environment and governments worldwide pushing for electric mobility, the bigger manufacturers have, at long last, accepted the need to move to electric and have started preparing themselves for the sea change that’s coming. In March this year, Honda, Yamaha, Piaggio, and KTM announced joining hands to set up a consortium for swappable batteries. The stated aim is to standardise technical specifications for swappable battery systems for electric two-wheelers, which will hopefully bring down the costs of development, address the issue of range and charging times and, ultimately, encourage more widespread adoption of electric bikes.