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Eco-friendly electric motorbikes to fit your budget
Electric motorcycles: A cost-effective transport option to lower your carbon footprint.
Transport costs in today’s economy can hit your pocket hard. Inflation keeps pushing up the cost of vehicles, whether new or used. Increasing maintenance costs and fuel prices over the past few years have made running a car on a tight budget much more challenging. If you commute to work every day, you’ll be feeling the pinch even more.
Consider your personal carbon footprint too – rising fossil fuel prices may have a nasty financial impact, but climate change is likely to result in even higher costs in environmental damage. Electric vehicles (EVs) can reduce your carbon footprint, but electric cars are still too expensive for most road users in South Africa.
If you want to reduce both your transport costs and your impact on the environment, you might find that an electric motorcycle is the right EV alternative for you. They’re much more affordable, they’re eco-friendly, and in terms of fuel costs versus recharging costs per kilometre, they’re more cost-effective than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.
Advantages of electric motorbikes
The design and performance of electric motorcycles have progressed rapidly in recent years. Their environmental benefits are clear, but power and technical performance are also important for most motorcyclists. How do the latest electric motorbikes compare to their ICE counterparts?
Performance
Modern electric motorbikes have a clear performance advantage over ICE bikes. Even though ICE motorcycles have higher top speeds, they produce less torque at lower revs per minute (RPM). They can generate peak torque to reach high speed only when at high RPM. Electric motorcycles can reach their peak power and torque instantly. This is a big advantage in terms of rider safety, as it enables you to move out of a dangerous traffic situation quickly.
You can find existing public charging infrastructure at more than 300 locations – mostly in petrol station forecourts
Maintenance
ICE motorcycles can have high maintenance costs. They need regular services to change consumables like oil and water, and to repair or replace the many interacting parts of the engine, cooling system and drive train. Electric motorcycles need much less maintenance. Your main concerns will be the condition of the battery and its capacity to recharge, and the tyres.
Cost
Entry-level electric cars are costly in SA. However, electric motorcycles are available in a similar price range to their ICE counterparts. Factor in the reduced running and maintenance costs, and the total savings you can make over the vehicle’s lifespan mean that switching to an electric motorcycle could be a smart financial decision.
Environmental impact
Climate change is a real threat, so this is a major factor to consider. According to research from Persistent Energy Capital, sub-Saharan Africa imports 3 times more motorcycles than ICE cars – and most of those motorbikes also run on ICE. Choosing an electric motorbike and boosting the import market for these EVs is a way for you to make a positive difference with your buying choices.
Range and charging infrastructure in SA
There are 2 factors that make many people hesitant about switching to EVs – how far the vehicle can travel on a fully charged battery, and whether there are enough recharging points in SA, at the right locations, to make EVs viable as a long-distance mode of transport.
The recharging and battery market in SA is still in its infancy, and we can summarise the local situation as follows:
Range
Current electric motorcycles can travel between 100 and 250 km before needing to recharge – depending on the size of the bike and its battery. Lithium-ion batteries are the most frequently used option. Until the range of electric motorbikes improves significantly, they’ll be handy for urban commuting but not for longer journeys between cities or provinces.
Charging infrastructure
You can find existing public charging infrastructure at more than 300 locations – mostly in petrol station forecourts. Find your nearest station online. However, electric motorbikes often have plug-in battery options that you can charge at home from a conventional wall socket. In other parts of Africa where electric motorcycles are becoming more popular, a network of battery-swapping stations is another option. Motorcyclists can swap depleted batteries for fully charged ones, much like a gas bottle. This concept offers an opportunity to South African entrepreneurs when the local electric motorbike market expands.
In South Africa, you need a Code 1 driving licence to ride a 2-wheeled vehicle on a public road
Electric motorcycle brands available in SA
Here’s a selection of electric motorbikes for sale in SA to suit different tastes and needs. We’ve included the technical spec information where available, and the approximate price at the time of writing:
- Harley-Davidson LiveWire One (R500,000): This top-of-the-range bike is the Harley electric motorcycle flagship. It can recharge to 80% capacity in only 45 minutes and can cover a range of around 250 km of city riding.
- BMW CE 04 (R256,000): Another famous luxury brand, this BMW is classified as an electric scooter. It has a shorter range of 130 km and a restricted top speed of 120 km/h. The battery recharges fully in about 90 minutes.
- Zero SR (R234,000): The value-for-money Zero SR has a top speed of around 200 km/h, a range of 240 km, and takes 60 minutes to recharge.
- Kollter E-Cross ES-1X (R85,000): These locally developed bikes are an affordable option. The battery recharges fully from flat in 3.5 hours, and it has a top speed of almost 100 km/h. However, the range of 100 km means it’s useful only as a city runaround.
- Roam Air (R34,000): This Kenyan-made electric motorcycle is designed for the African market and tougher road conditions. The price makes it an ideal entry-level electric motorbike. Top speed is 90 km/h, and it has a range of 180 km on a dual battery system. These take around 4 hours to recharge.
NOTE: In South Africa, you need a Code 1 driving licence to ride a 2-wheeled vehicle on a public road if it can go faster than 45 km/h or weighs more than 40 kg. You also need to register and license an electric motorbike as you would any other vehicle.
If you’re interested in buying an electric motorbike, Nedbank offers qualifying clients personal loans of up to R300,000. You can get R200 cash back every month if you take out a personal loan and open a MiGoals Plus or Premium account. Terms and conditions apply.
