And since motorcycles typically cover fewer miles there’s less chance to hit the ‘break even’ point for climate emissions in use. Taking a moment to look at four wheels, a Volvo XC40 Recharge electric car’s battery accounts for only 16% of its mass but 28% of its carbon footprint in the manufacturing stage.Īn electric bike’s battery can account for as much as 45% of its total mass so is likely to make up a larger percentage of its manufacturing carbon footprint. The manufacturing process of any vehicle, from mining raw materials to delivering them to showrooms, also contributes a hefty chunk of the total lifetime emissions figures.įor battery electric vehicles (BEVs) those manufacturing emissions are higher than for internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) and it takes thousands of miles of use for a BEV’s carbon footprint to become smaller than an equivalent ICEV.
While it’s true battery vehicles have zero tailpipe emissions, they rely on the electricity grid – using power that might be clean wind or solar energy but could just as easily be from a dirty, coal-fired power station. But the latest research shows that their environmental advantage over more traditional petrol-powered machines is far from cut and dried.
Love it or hate it, we’re seeing major developments in electric motorcycles.
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