Electric motorcycles and scooters are plug-in electric vehicles with two or three wheels. Power is supplied by a rechargeable battery that drives one or more electric motors. Electric scooters are distinguished from motorcycles by having a step-through frame, instead of being straddled. Electric bicycles are similar vehicles, distinguished by retaining the ability to be propelled by the rider pedaling in addition to battery propulsion.
Electric scooters with the rider standing are known as e-scooters.
History
Timeline1895Earliest known electric motorcycle patent.1911Popular Mechanics article introduces an electric motorcycle.1919Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies make an electric motorcycle prototype.1936Socovel electric motorcycle company founded.1940Norwegian motorcycle company "Tempo" produced the Tempo Electro Transportsykkel1946Marketeer company founded, based on an electric motorcycle made by Merle Williams.1967Karl Kordesch makes a hydrazine fuel cell motorcycle1974Mike Corbin's motorcycle Quick Silver sets electric motorcycle speed record of 1996 First mass-produced electric scooter, Peugeot Scoot'Elec, released2011Chip Yates sets Guinness record of fastest electric motorcycle with 2013First FIM eRoad Racing World Cup
Selected electric motorcycles and scooters
1895 to 1950
The early history of electric motorcycles is somewhat unclear. On 19 September 1895, a patent application for an "electrical bicycle" was filed by Ogden Bolton Jr. of Canton Ohio. On 8 November of the same year, another patent application for an "electric bicycle" was filed by Hosea W. Libbey of Boston.
At the Stanley Cycle Show in 1896 in London, England, bicycle manufacturer Humber exhibited an electric tandem bicycle. Powered by a bank of storage batteries, the motor was placed in front of the rear wheel. Speed control was by a resistance placed across the handlebars. This electric bicycle was mainly intended for racetrack use.
The October 1911 issue of Popular Mechanics mentioned the introduction of an electric motorcycle. It claimed to have a range of to per charge. The motorcycle had a three-speed controller, with speeds of .
In 1919, Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies made a prototype electric motorcycle in which the batteries were fitted under the seat of the sidecar. Even though the vehicle was registered for road use, it never went past the trial stage.
In 1936, the Limelette brothers founded an electric motorcycle company called Socovel (Société pour l’étude et la Construction de Véhicules Electriques or Company for research and manufacture of electric vehicles) in Brussels. They continued production during the German occupation with their permission. Due to fuel rationing, they found some degree of success. But after the war, they switched to conventional models. The electric models remained available until 1948.
During the World War II, compelled by fuel rationing in the United States, Merle Williams of Long Beach, California, invented a two-wheeled electric motorcycle that towed a single-wheeled trailer. Due to the popularity of the vehicle, Williams started making more such vehicles in his garage. In 1946, it led to the formation of the Marketeer Company (current-day ParCar Corp.).
1950 to 1980 In 1967, Karl Kordesch, working for Union Carbide, made a fuel cell/Nickel–cadmium battery hybrid electric motorcycle. It was later replaced with a hydrazine fuel cell, giving it a range of and a top speed of .
In the same year, a prototype electric motorcycle called the Papoose, was built by the Indian Motorcycle Company under the direction of Floyd Clymer.
In 1974, Auranthic Corp., a small manufacturer in California, produced a small motorcycle called the Charger. It had a top speed and an range on a full charge.
In the early 1970s, Mike Corbin built a street-legal commuter electric motorcycle called the Corbin Electric. Later in 1974, Corbin, riding a motorcycle called the Quick Silver, set the electric motorcycle speed world record at . The motorcycle used a 24 volt electric starter motor from a Douglas A-4B fighter plane. In 1975, Corbin built a battery-powered prototype street motorcycle called the City Bike. This motorcycle used a battery manufactured by Yardney Electric.
In June 1975, the first Annual Alternative Vehicle Regatta was held at Mt. Washington, New Hampshire. The event was created and promoted by Charles McArthur, an environmentalist. On June 17, Corbin's motorcycle completed the uphill course in 26 minutes.
1980s to 2000s In 1988, Ed Rannberg, founder of Eyeball Engineering, tested his electric drag motorcycle in Bonneville. In 1992, the January issue of Cycle World carried an article about his bike called the KawaSHOCKI. It could complete in 11–12 seconds.
In 1995, Electric Motorbike Inc. was founded by Scott Cronk and Rick Whisman in Santa Rosa, California. In 1996, they released the EMB Lectra which used a variable reluctance motor. It had a top speed of about and a range of . Around 100 were built.
In 1996, the first mass-produced electric scooter, Peugeot Scoot'Elec, was released, using Nickel-Cadmium batteries to propel it to a range of .
2000s
On 26 August 2000, Scotty Pollacheck established a drag racing record of completing a in 9.450 seconds on the Woodburn track in Oregon. Pollacheck rode a Killacycle using lead acid batteries at a speed of .
In 2006, Vectrix introduced the VX-1. Following insolvency and initial bankruptcy reorganization, the Gold Peak battery group purchased the company in 2009. Vectrix expanded product lines, offering the VX-2 and the three wheeled VX-3 but ceased operations in January 2014 and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation, with its remaining assets auctioned off.
On April 4–5, 2009, Zero Motorcycles hosted the "24 Hours of Electricross" event in San Jose. It is considered the first all-electric off-road endurance race.
On June 14, 2009, the first electric Time Trial Xtreme Grand Prix (TTXGP) all-electric street motorcycle race took place on the Isle of Man in which 13 machines took part. Rob Barber riding a motorcycle built by Team Agni won the race. He completed the course in 25 minutes 53.5 seconds, an average speed of .
In February 2009, Mission Motors started selling the Mission One. In September 2009, Jeremy Cleland broke the AMA electric motorcycle land speed record during the BUB Motorcycle Speed Trials at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, US riding a Mission One.Electric Motorcycle Promises 150 MPH | WIRED The bike registered a speed of .
2010s In 2010 John Scollon broke the electric motorcycle record record time to climb Pikes Peak on an ElectroCat, created by mechanical engineer Eva Håkansson. He completed the course in 16 minutes 55.849 seconds. ElectroCat uses batteries manufactured by A123 Systems.
On June 26, 2011, Chip Yates broke Scollon's previous record at Pikes Peak. He completed the course in 12 minutes 50.094 seconds. On 30 August 2011, Yates riding his prototype Swigz electric superbike established the official Guinness record of the fastest electric motorcycle. The motorcycle clocked a speed of at Bonneville.
In 2012, Paul Ernst Thede set an SCTA record run of at Bonnevile Salt Flats, Utah, US. This did not qualify as a Guinness World record as it wasn't timed by the FIM timing association.
In 2012, Electro Force cycles made their debut as a commuter cycle for commuters to ride to work or for enjoyment. These cycles were built by Jennifer Northern of Issaquah, Washington, US. The maximum speed reached was , while immediate speeds reached up to in 6 seconds, programmable with regenerative braking or on the throttle. Their range was up to 100 miles while maintaining in all weather and hills. It was the first of their kind built by a woman in the US.
In 2012, Jim Higgins rode the street-legal Mission Motors' Mission R at the Sonoma Raceway quarter-mile drag strip and set a National Electric Drag Racing Association (NEDRA) street-legal electric motorcycle record for the SMC/A3 class with a time of 10.602 at .National Electric Drag Racing Association – Record Holders
On June 30, 2013, Carlin Dunne riding a Lightning Motorcycle-built electric bike beat conventional motorcycles at Pikes Peak. He clocked a 10 minutes 00.694 seconds at the course.
In the later 2010s, many companies tried their first crack at making an electric motorcycle or scooter, including Scorpio Electric and Harley-Davidson. On November 20, 2018, VinFast from Vietnam introduced two electric scooter models in Hanoi, with 4 model: VinFast Klara A1 (Lithium-ion battery), VinFast Klara A2 (Lead–acid battery), VinFast Ludo and VinFast Impes.
In 2019, the Lark Streamliner, a streamliner motorcycle, was built to challenge a land speed record in its class.
2020s In the 2020s many companies have started and many have folded. The cost of batteries and the speed of charging are still limiting factors in making appealing long-range motorcycles but in-city commuting, motocross, trials, and pleasure riding have seen significant adoption. In 2026, Michael Hicks won silver at World Supercross on a Stark Varg.
Types
A two- (or sometimes three-) wheeled powered vehicle if ridden with rider astride is termed a motorcycle; if it has a step-through frame with rider seated with feet on a floor panel it is a motor scooter. A smaller vehicle, typically just a deck to stand on with two (or three) wheels and a handlebar on a vertical stem is also termed a scooter; such scooters if unpowered are termed kick scooters, and e-scooters if battery powered. E-scooters are made available for hire by several companies in a scooter-sharing system.
Power source Since electric motorcycles and scooters have relatively small frames, they typically have short ranges, restricted by the volume available for energy storage.
Most electric motorcycles and scooters are powered by rechargeable lithium ion batteries, though some early models used nickel–metal hydride batteries.
Alternative types of batteries are available. Z Electric Vehicle pioneered use of a battery with lead electrodes and an electrolyte of a liquid low sodium silicate compound, a variation on the classic lead–acid battery invented in 1859 and still used for electrical power in internal-combustion-engine automobiles, that compares favorably with lithium batteries in size, weight, and energy capacity, at considerably less cost.
EGen says its lithium-iron phosphate batteries are up to two-thirds lighter than lead-acid batteries and offer the best battery performance for electric vehicles.
In 2017, the first vehicle in the US to use the new Lithium Titanium Oxide (LTO) battery non-flammable battery technology was a scooter called The Expresso. This technology allows a battery to charge in less than 10 minutes, and is capable of 25,000 charges, the equivalent of 70 years of daily charges. The technology, created by Altairnano, is used in China, where over 10,000 urban buses run on these batteries.
Charging All electric scooters and motorcycles provide for recharging by plugging into ordinary wall outlets, usually taking about eight hours to recharge (i.e., overnight). Some manufacturers have designed in, included, or offer as an accessory, the high-power CHAdeMO level 2 charger, which can charge the batteries up to 95% in an hour.
Battery swapping
Manufacturers like Zero Motorcycles and recent entrants to the scooter market Nanu EV, Gogoro, Unu, and TurboAnt have designed machines which allow quick battery swapping, to allow charging without the vehicle needing to be near a charge point, or, with a spare battery or an available battery network, to allow continued travel after a battery is drained.