A three-day EV event highlights offerings and challenges facing Australia’s buyers and distributors.
AMCN recently attended Everything Electric Australia, a home power and electric vehicle expo held in Sydney over 9-11 February. The three-day event claimed to have the biggest electric test drive program in the southern hemisphere but, of course, this was mostly cars and commercial vehicles.
Nevertheless, there were still a few electric motorcycle marques represented at the show, such as Zero Motorcycles, which is returning to the Australian market after several years’ absence. Zero Motorcycles is now represented in Australia by the Peter Stevens Group, which means nationwide distribution, parts and servicing for the first time. All Zero models will now be available in Australia, including the previously Europe-only SR sports model. And with the completion of homologation on all Zero motorcycles, a fleet of demonstration bikes is currently being distributed to dealers.
Zero Motorcycles marketing and events manager Tom Reynolds told AMCN that after he rode one of the company’s bikes for the first time, he knew getting bums on seats would make the difference: “We want people to book a free 45-minute ride and really get to know the bikes, use the different modes, play with regen settings and really get the full Zero experience. “We know there are sceptics and traditionalists and we accept that; we just reckon you should speak from a position of experience.”
Reynolds took part in an Electrifying Motorbikes panel discussion during the event, along with the president of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA), Chris Jones, and chief marketing officer at Savic Motorcycles, Alexandra Bromley. Reynolds told the crowd he believed it would never be enough to just highlight fuel costs and use that as a motivator to purchase an electric motorcycle, “as even a doubling of the price of fuel would not necessarily be an incentive for internal combustion engine (ICE) bike riders to look to an electric bike because costs on ICE bikes are already relatively small.” Jones lamented that electric motorcycles still cost substantially more than an equivalent petrol bike.
“Most petrol bikes will serve a number of roles quite completely, but an electric bike will only do one of them well and the rest not so much,” he said. “Right now, we really just need electric motorcycles to be sold at a price point where people will choose the eMoto over a petrol equivalent. Performance is definitely a major driver in motorcycle purchase decisions, and to buy an eMoto with similar performance to a petrol bike, you’re paying for it. I really don’t think cheaper batteries will change this – it’s about the volumes of production, rather than the cost of the final unit. South-East Asia will really drive change here, I think.” Jones added that he believed formalisation of the MotoE racing class in MotoGP was “a great move”.
“I can’t wait until they open the class up to new makes and models,” he said. “When we were racing in eFX, it was a truly open prototype field and that would drive innovation and push the performance envelope. It won’t be long before MotoE does this, and that will be exciting.”
Bromley, who worked for automotive brands such as Citroën, Porsche and Harley-Davidson before joining Savic Motorcycles, said that electric bikes offered features such as “high torque and smooth acceleration, reduced noise pollution for both the public and riders, and the integration of cutting-edge technologies like smart connectivity and advanced safety features.”
However, Bromley also highlighted the significant challenges confronting the electric motorcycle industry. “Among these are the current limitations of available charging infrastructure and the need for broader consumer education,” she said, adding that supportive government policies and incentives in promoting electric motorcycle adoption were required.
Light and easy
A e-Bikes, which has been distributing the lightweight Talaria on- and off-road bikes in Australia and New Zealand since 2021, was another outfit at the expo. Managing partner Vanessa Rocchi was at their stand and told AMCN that A e-Bikes was gearing up for a big year, with expansion of its main offerings from Talaria.
“Our dealership network is growing rapidly, as there is a big demand for Talaria motorbikes,” she said. “We’re noticing a diverse range of demographics are interested in the Talaria bikes, thanks to their ability to cater to various needs and preferences.”
Current Talaria models are priced below $8000. “We have commenced ADR compliance for new road-legal models,” she said. “There is also talk of new Talaria models hitting our shores [so] 2024 is going to be a huge year for us. The electric scene in its entirety is about to explode – what an exciting time.”
Race faces
Two familiar faces were on hand at the expo to help showcase the Zero range. Australian Supersport 300 champion and current Australian Supersport 600 racer Tom Bramich, and retired stunt rider ‘Lukey Luke’ Follacchio put on a show in the indoor demo area. Bramich said later that he was impressed with the bikes. “The torque is just unbelievable – more like a jet than a typical petrol engine. Going from Eco mode to Sport mode feels like swapping bikes. It’s impressive.”
Savic shaping up
Savic Motorcycles has revealed that it will be launching the C-Series in the near future, with the first customer deliveries scheduled for late March. Dennis Savic, CEO and founder of Savic Motorcycles, said he was “looking forward to hearing what Australia had to say about the C-Series”. “We know we’ve built a great bike and we’re looking forward to gaining valuable feedback from riders that we can use to continue development and build new features and updates to enhance their ownership experience,” he said.
The C-Series features a 16.2 kWh lithium-ion battery, Brembo brakes and an ABS system designed at Bosch Australia. It also boasts regeneration technology that tops up power every time the rider brakes. This gives the C-Series Alpha a claimed range of more than 200km on a single charge.
Bromley said that although e-motorcycles can be polarising for veteran riders, she believed that Savic motorcycles had “the looks, performance and technological smarts to win over new audiences .”
WORDS: SEAN MOONEY