The power to change motorcycling

Electric motorcycles and scooters will now qualify for Government subsidy, under plans announced by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles.

A pot of up to £7.5 million will be made available from summer 2015 until 2020, capped at £1500 per vehicle, and set to make qualifying vehicles up to 20% cheaper for buyers. This will help to make the currently expensive electric option more palpable for urban commuters, especially London based riders who could be harshly penalized under the new ULEZ legislation.

Electric powered two wheelers will help cut CO2 emissions but there are wider benefits, too. Research shows powered two wheelers help reduce congestion for all road users. They also take up far less space to park, expanding available parking in city centres and the workplace.
Riders benefit from shorter journey times as they can use bus lanes in many towns and cities and are able to filter through queues of traffic. They are economical to run and are exempt from the Congestion Charge and Work Place Parking Levy.

Steve Kenward, CEO of the MCIA commented: “Economically, it will provide a much needed boost to this sector of the automotive industry. We hope this will result in increased investment in UK research and development for electric powered two wheel vehicles.
“We also hope it will give manufacturers who already have electric models for sale in mainland Europe the confidence to launch in the UK.”

The biggest problem facing UK buyers is the serious lack of dealer representation for electric motorcycles. Both Zero and Brammo have pulled out of the UK over the last two years, and are yet to return. There is little doubt that this move will help motivate a return, or for an enterprising city-based importer/distributor to take it on. Meanwhile BMW’s C Evolution maxi-scoot, which costs £13,500 before the subsidy, looks set to clean-up pretty much unchallenged. 

Phil Horton, General Manager for BMW Motorrad UK commented: “This is a hugely important step forward in the government’s policy for electric vehicles. BMW Group is at the forefront of electric vehicle development with the i3 and i8 cars – and the C evolution is the first two wheeled electric vehicle to bear the Motorrad brand. With the grant from the Government factored in, the C evolution becomes an even more appealing option for urban commuters and riders.”