Multi-billion dollar market revealed for electric motorcycles

The new report by IDTechEx, Electric Motorcycles and Three Wheel Electric Vehicles 2015-2025 reveals a market value of over US$12 billion for electric motorcycles including e-scooters and maxi scooters in 2025 - a market nearly five times greater than that for e-bikes with pedals. The big stories this year are car-like MicroEVs, the first category to be aimed primarily at emerging nations, and electric motorcycles, including e-maxi scooters and three wheel motorcycles. Electric motor cycles and thre
August 15, 2014 Read time: 2 mins

The new report by 6582 IDTechEx, Electric Motorcycles and Three Wheel Electric Vehicles 2015-2025 reveals a market value of over US$12 billion for electric motorcycles including e-scooters and maxi scooters in 2025 - a market nearly five times greater than that for e-bikes with pedals.
 
The big stories this year are car-like MicroEVs, the first category to be aimed primarily at emerging nations, and electric motorcycles, including e-maxi scooters and three wheel motorcycles.
 
Electric motor cycles and three wheelers are smaller businesses in volume but are often capable of generating higher percentage profits. The same is true of those making components and systems. In the large sectors they find it hard to make a living in fast growing niches where small to medium sized businesses are able to prosper.
 
The report says Yamaha and BMW are entering this business in 2015. Harley Davidson is getting opinions on its prototype but it is small companies like leader Zero Motorcycles and Brammo that are landing most of the orders, demonstrating impressive innovation and going global with them. They are something of a one way bet because either a giant buys them in order to catch up or they do a Tesla and get big by organic growth. Then there are the Chinese innovating with impressive maxi-scooters and motorcycles ‘at one third of the price’. That grows the market rather than eliminates competition - look at what happened with conventional motorcycles.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Amazon keeps its head in the cloud
    December 17, 2021
    The days of Amazon just selling books may be long, long gone – but Randy Iwasaki of Amazon Web Services tells Adam Hill why the ability to tell stories still has an important place in a highly technical transport environment
    Read More
  • Sampo Hietanen: “Most likely you're going to be the ‘magnificent corpse’ out of all this”
    August 21, 2024
    From the pitfalls of being first in the market, to putting your effort into creating an ecosystem, and the difficulties in gaining critical mass, Sampo Hietanen tells Adam Hill how much he’s learned from the rise and demise of MaaS Global
    Read More
  • ITS homes in on cycling safety
    April 9, 2014
    A new generation of ITS equipment is helping road authorities get to grips with cycle safety – and not a moment too soon as Colin Sowman discovers. Cyclists - remember them? Apparently not. At least not according to the OECD 2013 report Cycling, Health and Safety which contains the statement: ‘Cyclists are often forgotten in the design of the road traffic system’. Looking through the statistics that exist (each country appears to compile them differently) it is not difficult to see how such a conclusion cou
    Read More
  • Electric buses take new forms
    June 30, 2016
    Data from IDTechEx claims there are many new forms of electric bus arriving in quite a rush. Last year saw pure electric double decker and articulated buses. This year there is speculation that the work by Siemens of Germany on long distance pure electric trucks being charged by short lengths of overhead catenary could also apply to buses. That should involve much lower cost than the other zero pollution option the fuel cell bus. Now Switzerland has joined other places around the world newly exploring t
    Read More

Highlighted Content