Electric Motorcycles Coming to Australia
There are a lot of electric motorcycles coming to Australia this year
It’s about to be a very exciting year if you’re an electric motorcycle lover. If you’ve been itching to get behind the throttle of these high-performance, zero emission speed machines then you have found yourself in the right place.
In 2021 Australian Electric Motor Co. was founded with the mission to bring the best electric motorcycles in the world to Australia, here you will find what’s currently available and what you can expect to see in 2022.
In this article
- Which Electric Motorcycles are already in the country?
- Which Electric Motorcycles can we expect to see later in the year?
- Challenges facing Electric motorcycle ownership
- Where you can get your hands on electric motorcycles
Which electric motorcycles are already in the country?
We are already seeing Australian made electric motorcycles make their way to market. Most countries with sustainable energy targets are now developing their automotive industries accordingly and they are popping up all over the world.
Savic Motorcycles are just one of Australian brands offering their EV innovations to motorcycle lovers. We have seen the Harley Davidson Live Wire1 start to make its way onto Australian shores as well. Chinese brand Evoke Motorcycles is bringing economic electric motorcycles to riders who are looking to make the switch to electric within a tight budget.
We also can’t go past Super SOCO if we’re talking about economic electric motorcycles coming to Australia. These reimagined Cafe Racers are great daily commuters with ranges between 70km-100km and speeds that won’t break 100km/h. The TC Max and TC Cafe have become the biggest sellers globally and are fantastic little run-arounds.
If off-road electric motorcycles are what you’re after, another Chinese brand Sur-Ron are offering some Mid drive electric bikes that you can ride anywhere. Electric Motion have also recently hit Australia, and we have more information on those below. KTM and Yamaha have some electric dirt and trial bikes in other countries – but the distributors are not bringing them into Australia for now.
Energica Motor Company
Coming to Australia from the historic Moderna, Italy – Energica has brought together the brightest minds in Moto GP racing to offer road ready, super-sport electric motorcycles. After finding success during the MotoE, an all-electric world championship series, Energica has developed a range of three electric motorcycles which will be ready for Australian riders in the early months of 2022. Energica are currently working on new bikes to expand their range.
EsseEsse9
The world’s first “classic” retro-styled electric motorcycle. The classic bench seat and relaxed riding position makes the EsseEsse9 ideal for two-up riding and it’s the preferred choice for long-distance electric wanderers. Energica offer two other models of the EsseEsse9 the EsseEsse9+ and the EsseEsse9+ RS
EGO
The Energica EGO is the highest performing electric motorcycle in the world: for road or for race. When the EGO hit the motorcycle scene a few years ago we had never seen anything like it, and that remains true today. The EGO offers riders the highest top speed and sustained performance of any electric motorcycle coupled with surprisingly nimble handling even at lower speeds; immense torque and blistering acceleration; sophisticated electronics: and uniquely, DC Fast Charging. With three models available, the EGO, EGO+ and EGO+ RS is the motorcycle if you have an hunger for speed.
EVA Ribelle
The Energica EVA Ribelle is similar in almost every way to it’s super sport counterpart the EGO+. The motorcycle maintains the same torque, power, acceleration and range; with the only difference being the top speed and riding position of the bike. The EVA Ribelle also has slight design adjustments to give it an aggressive urban look, a naked version of the EGO with the assertive-upright riding position. Available as the EVA Ribelle and EVA Ribelle RS
Electric Motion
EM are a French manufacturer who recently came to Australia, but have made a big name for themselves over the last decade for providing trailblazing electric off-road bikes. Electric Motion are bringing four of their EV motorcycles to Aussie riders – the Escape, Escape R, EPure, and EPure Race.
Electric Motion Escape
The Electric Motion Escape is the touring model of the EM family. The 2022 model offers an even more powerful motorbike with more torque, a new reinforced transmission and even more premium equipment and finishing package.
The new model also features a major innovation with the introduction of traction control! Don’t lose grip and stay in control of your bike in all conditions…
Electric Motion EPure
The Electric Motion ePure is built for touring and trial riders; a silent bike requiring almost no maintenance. The 2022 model also offers their traction control innovation so. It’s an off road bike that’s perfect for any level of rider.
Both the Electric Motion EPure and Escape motorcycles offer Race models as upgrades to the Escape and EPure base models. These race models include a diaphragm clutches, improved power and acceleration. The 2022 models go even further, with TKO (Tick Over) technology which gives precision acceleration and traction. It’s a true help to power control at low revs. PRB ‘R’ technology is also available as an optional extra. It gives the performance of a progressive motor brake and regenerates your battery using kinetic energy conversion.
Zero Electric Motorcycles Coming to Austrlia
Zero stopped importing motorcycles to the Australian market back in 2015. A lack of EV incentives & the relatively underdeveloped charging infrastructure added to reasons why they withdrew. Now that EV charging infrastructure is growing rapidly & is much more reliable, we would love to give Australian & New Zealanders the best range premium electric motorcycles possible. At this stage the only Zero motorcycles you can get your hands on are second hand or unofficial parallel imports of these bikes. We hope to change that in the near future, so sit tight for that!
Stark VARG
Easily one of the most sought after electric motorcycles in the world, Stark Future have started distribution in Australia and their first motocross model – the Stark Varg is now available through Australian Electric Motor Co. We will have 2 demonstrators on the shop floor from December but you can pre-order the Stark Varg in Australia now.
The Stark Future company set out with the goal of creating the most powerful motocross bike in the world, not the most powerful ELECTRIC motocross bike, the most powerful across the board. They have definitely achieved this goal with the release of their VARG model.
The Stark VARG comes with a number of unique innovations that have planted it as a global front runner. The VARG produces 30% more power than a gas powered four-stroke 450CC dirt bike, reaching up to 80hp at peak performance. Chuck that in with a powerful battery which gives you awesome range, and smart operational technology and you have yourself a good time.
Which Electric Motorcycles can we expect to see later in the year?
This is less of an official report on what the industry is doing and more of a list of electric motorcycles we love and bikes we would love to start distributing.
RGNT
We’re very excited by what’s coming from these Swedish electric motorbike manufacturers and to see these electric motorcycles coming to Australia. Despite our love of future forward riding technology, we love classic motorcycles. RGNT produces a premium range of electric bikes that combine these two loves so beautifully – retro looks and cutting-edge electric power.
Harking back to motorcycle design of the 1960’s, RGNT produces two models of that we are itching to get our hands on.
The No.1 Classic SEL
The No.1 Scrambler SEL
A chef’s kiss to classic Cafe Racer and Scrambler style motorcycles with handmade details and state-of-the-art riding technology. These bikes have a pretty impressive 150km range on a full battery with a top speed of 120km/h. We could definitely see these becoming a favourite once they hit Australian shores.
We’ve been chatting to the team over at RGNT electric motorcycles and their 2.0 versions currently in development have more power, range and a shedload of other improvements. We’re keen to get some of the 2.0s over to Australia.
LAND Moto
Our British counterparts, the English Electric Motor Co. recently got to ride these American made bikes in Cleveland and they said these are the closest thing to a Zero FX in terms of power/size. With 4 riding modes – they’ll suit most users – but level 4 was a torque monster and seriously impressive for the size of the motor/battery. Price wise – LAND’s models are looking really competitive too – no-one has really addressed that middle section of the market very well (slightly more expensive than Super Soco TC Max but slightly less than the Zero FX models).
They are producing three models, the LAND Standard, Street and Scrambler.
LAND Standard
No lights, no turn signals, just a pure and basic electric motorbike. Perfect for customisation or a little farm run around. The standard has a top speed of 95km/h, a range of 64km and a 1.8kWh battery.
LAND Street
This version comes with all the Standard’s features plus all the bells and whistles you would need for street riding. Additional features include fender kits, more ride modes, street suspension and even USB A + C accessory chargers! This model has the same top speed and range as the Standard.
LAND Scrambler
The Standard land but kitted out with off-road tires, suspension, handlebars and ride modes.
SAVIC Motorcycles
C Series
We mentioned this Australian brand earlier. Their first customer orders will start being delivered around December this year and we’re stoked to see them finally hit the roads.
These modern Cafe Racer style bikes have some pretty impressive riding capabilities at very respectable prices. The base model, the Savic Delta has a range of 150km, with a charge time of 3.8 hours, the battery that holds 40kw that produces 54hp that can get you from 0-100km/h in 4.5 seconds – all for under $20,000. We expect to see some awesome things from these homegrown heroes.
Challenges Facing Electric Motorcycle Ownership
While we are making steps toward making EV ownership easier, we are a bit behind the ball in a few areas in getting electric motorcycles coming to Australia.
The biggest challenge we are facing is simply that it takes quite a long time to get new electric motorbikes shipped into the country, and then approved for riding on Australian roads. Unfortunately there’s nothing we can do about that at this stage, it’s simply a game of patience.
While Australia State Governments have introduced a few small incentives for electric car ownerships like zero stamp duty, reduced registration fees or cashback on EV purchases; these are yet to be extended to electric motorcycles. These incentives are generally geared towards making electric cars more affordable – which means they are not helping Australian’s buy higher end, performance electric vehicles like Tesla’s, electric Porsches and Energica Motorcycles. Which is a shame because these are the EVs that will probably still be on the road in 10 years time. We recently wrote a pretty helpful article on electric motorcycle stamp duty in Australia if you would like to check that out.
In 2021 The Australian EV Council estimated that there are over 3,000 public chargers in Australia with 470 super chargers. While these numbers are promising, fear of not having chargers nearby are one of the main fears consumers have of going electric. Every year the number of EV chargers is increasing, so we have no doubt that we will see this fear end in the near future. For now – the best app to plan your EV journey and charging is PlugShare. In the Gold Coast which is home to AEMC we have 19 AC Type 2 and DC fast-charging stations. Metro areas like Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Hobart are better stocked. Rural areas are pretty thin when it comes to fast public charging – although there is no shortage of household plugs for slow charging.
Where you can get your hands on electric motorcycles in Australia?
Australian made Savic Motorcycles have opened their flagship store in Melbourne, and the Harley LiveWire is now available through limited Harley dealerships in their network.
Bikesales.com is a premium source to find new and second hand electric motorcycles.
Australian Electric Motor Co. are now open to the public from our dealership in Burleigh Heads Qld and taking pre-orders on a number of our bikes. Our aim is to be a central channel for electric motorcycles coming to Australia. We are currently in the process of developing our Australia wide dealer network which will be announced as the year progresses. Make sure you subscribe to our email list to keep up to date with all the latest in electric motorcycles as it happens.
This is a brief snapshot of electric motorcycles coming to Australia. With growing public awareness of environmental sustainability and increasing cost of petrol, making the switch to electric vehicles is a future forward way to secure your love of motorcycles.