electric motorcycles

  • James May

    Located in the Irish sea between Great Britain and Ireland, the Isle of Man plays host to one of the racing world's most famous circuits--the Isle of Man TT course. Every year thousands of motorcyclists from across the world pile onto the island to watch events like the Tourist Trophy and Manx Grand Prix, and over the last few years electric motorcycles have also made headlines. Recently though, a rather different electric motorcycle has completed the course--one made entirely of Meccano, a UK brand of Erector Set construction toys. The motorcycle and sidecar has been constructed for a new...

  • Ride The Future electric vehicle tour ends at Google HQ (Photos: Morgan Vanderwall)
    Ride The Future Cross-Country Electric Road Trip Ends At Google HQ

    After more than 3,000 miles, 44 cities and some new Guinness World Records, 12 riders have finally completed their electric Ride The Future vehicle tour across the U.S. The group pulled into Charleston Park in Mountain View, California--home of Google and the Google Campus--after completing 3,745...

  • 2013 Zero Electric Motorcycle Lineup
    2011-2012 Zero Electric Motorcycles Recalled For Corroding Brake Bolts

    One of the most prominent manufacturers of electric motorcycles, Zero Motorcycles, is recalling a number of 2011-2012 motorcycles due to corroding brake bolts. Affected motorcycles may be susceptible to corrosion of bolts in the front brake caliper mounting assembly. This corrosion could cause...

  • Terry Hershner's 2012 Zero electric motorcycle (Image: Off The Grid on Facebook)
    Across The Country In 5 Days--On An Electric Motorcycle

    Little fuels a passion for travel like a cross-country trip. Perhaps "fuels" is the wrong word though, as it's not unusual to see people attempt U.S. crossings using electrons these days. Terry Hershner has done just that, though not in the air-conditioned luxury of a Tesla Model S. Instead, his...

  • 2013 Zero S Electric Motorcycle
    2013 Zero S: Proof That Electric Motorcycles Have Grown Up At Last

    As any parent will tell you, watching children grow up and mature is a powerful, life-changing experience. We’re not sure the same can be said watching a car or a motorcycle grow and evolve from one generation to the next--but if the 2013 Zero S were to have parents, we think they’d be...

  • Zeit Eco electric scooter (Images: Zeit)
    ZeitEco Electric Scooter Is A Swiss Army Knife On Two Wheels

    If there's one form of personal transport better for tackling a crowded city than the electric car, it's an electric bike. Whether pedal bike, scooter or motorcycle, nothing scythes through traffic quite like it. But just as electric automakers are beginning to explore what's possible when not held...

  • KTM E-Speed electric scooter concept

    Austrian motorcycle and automobile maker KTM is known worldwide for its slightly crazy but hugely fun vehicles. With arms competing in top-level motorcycle racing, off-road enduro style events and the dramatic X-BOW sports car on its books, we'd have to wonder what they'd achieve with an electric drivetrain. Wonder no longer: the E-Speed scooter has arrived. Looking like nothing else in the scooter market--let alone the market for electric scooters--the E-Speed takes everything KTM knows about wild styling and applies it to a punchy little scoot. If the pared-back bodywork, low stance and...

  • Zero S electric motorcycle (Image: Zero Motorcycles)
    Zero Will Now Sell You, Too, An All-Electric Cop Motorcycle

    Imagine, for a second, you're doing some dodgy criminal dealings, and the cops are onto your hideout location. You still have time though--you've heard no sirens, no vehicle pulling up outside the warehouse. And that would be your final mistake--just because you've not heard anything, doesn't mean...

  • Lit Motors C-1, electric gyroscopic motorcycle [Image: Lit Motors]
    Lit Motors C-1: Electric Motorcycle That Won't Fall Over

    The trouble with motorcycles, as anyone who has ever suffered road rash will tell you, is that falling off is actually rather painful. You have to try much harder to fall off a car, but those aren't without issues either--they're rather heavy, and that makes them relatively inefficient. The Lit...

  • 2013 Zero Electric Motorcycle Lineup
    Do Electric Motorcycles Have A U.S. Future? One View Says No

    Motorcycles, as any biker will tell you, are as much a device for recreation as they are a method of transport. More so even than many cars, they're bought for the thrill of the open road, the interaction between man and machine, and the freedom to go anywhere. And that, says The New York Times, is...

  • 2013 Zero Electric Motorcycle Lineup
    2013 Zero Electric Motorcycles: Bigger, Badder, Faster

    If you’re a fan of electric motorcycles, you’ll know that Californian-based Zero Motorcycles likes to update its range of all-electric motorcycles one a year. And, unlike many automakers and motorcycle companies, that means more than just a few new paint options and handlebar tweaks. In...

  • Ryno electric unicycle [Image: Ryno Motors]
    Two Wheels Good, One Wheel Better: Ryno Electric Unicycle

    The trouble with most vehicles is that you can't drive them on the sidewalk. Or through a hotel lobby--people tend to object. Neither of those are concerns with the Ryno, an electric, self-balancing unicycle, the brainchild of Ryno founder Chris Hoffman. The Ryno wasn't actually Chris's idea, but...

  • 2012 Zero DS Electric Motorcycle

    Shortly after we took to the roads of Scotts Valley, California to test-ride the 2011 Zero DS and 2011 Zero S the Californian all-electric motorcycle maker announced its all-new 2012 range. With all-new motors, battery pack and control circuitry, the 2012 Zero DS and 2012 Zero S motorcycles appeared far superior on paper than their predecessors, but how do they ride in the real world? Over the weekend, we spent a scant 10 minutes on each motorcycle to find out. 2012 Zero S Following the same street-fighter stylistic cues as the 2011 Zero S, the 2012 Zero S we rode was fitted with the optional...

  • 2012 BMW C evolution electric scooter prototype
    Latest e-Scooter Prototype Shown By BMW i Electric-Car Brand

    BMW has big plans for its i brand of plug-in electric cars, giving the lineup its own visual design language and its first foray into online sales. But beyond the i3 subcompact electric city car and the i8 plug-in hybrid sports coupe, there will be other BMW i models--some of which, apparently...

  • Brammo Empulse R electric motorcycle
    Brammo’s New 2012 Empulse R Electric Motorcycle Ad Highlights 2-Up Fun

    Electric motorcycles have already proven they’re great for inner-city commutes, dirt-track fun and even drag strip racing, but now Oregon-based Brammo Motorcycles adds something very important to that list: taking a pillion passenger. In the highly-polished ad for its new 2012 Brammo Empulse...

  • 2012 Zero DS Police Motorcycle
    2012 Zero DS Electric Motorcycle: Catching Criminals Silently?

    All over the U.S., police forces rely on hundreds of highly-trained motorcycle riders enforcing law and order on specially-built motorcycles like the 2012 Harley Davidson 2012 Electra Guide or 2012 BMW Boxer. Now Californian electric motorcycle manufacturer Zero motorcycles is offering police...

  • Brammo Empulse R electric motorcycle
    New Brammo Empulse Electric Motorcycle Unveiled

    Electric motorcycle manufacturer Brammo has revealed two brand new motorcycles, the Empulse and Empulse R. Each motorcycle offers both a 100 mph top speed, and 100 miles of range. The company has incorporated features suggested from research on its previous products, to ensure the Empulse and...

  • Lawless Electric Rocket bike. Image: Orange County Choppers
    Electric Motorcycle Breaks 7-Second, 200 MPH Quarter Mile

    In the time it takes you to read this sentence, Larry "Spiderman" McBride set the first 200 mph quarter-mile run on an electric motorcycle. Crossing the line in 6.94 seconds and at a terminal speed of 201.37 mph, Spiderman and his Lawless Electric Rocket bike have set not only an electric...

  • 2011 Brammo Empulse

    Over the past few years, while we've seen a slow and steady increase in the number of electric cars available on the market, the electric motorcycle industry has positively exploded. Primarily designed to satisfy the commuting needs of inner-city residents, most electric motorcycles and scooters are aimed at first-time riders, keen to benefit from scooter-like handling and stylish good looks, qualities you'd not associate with a traditional gasoline motorcycle. Now Oregon-based Brammo Motorcycles is promising to make electric motorcycles more appealing to mainstream motorcyclists with the...

  • Brutus 2 Electric Motorcycle
    2012 Brutus Electric Motorcycle Promises To Be Green, Mean

    Think about the names given to electric cars and electric motorcycles on the market today. Most, if not all, are a play on the concept of all-electric, zero tailpipe emissions travel. So when we heard about a team of engineers in Henderson, Nevada who were developing a new electric motorcycle...

  • Custom-Built Electric Superbicycle
    Zero Motorcycle Engineer’s Bicycle Is Quicker Than Porsche GT3 RS

    When we visited Zero Motorcycles’ headquarters in Scotts Valley, California to test-ride its 2011 2001 model year electric motorcycles, we got to meet some of the hardworking engineers responsible for ensuring the company remained at the forefront of the electric motorcycle world. And while...

  • GE WattStation Electric Car Charging Station
    Electric-Car Tax Credit Safe For Now, But Others Expiring Now

    For now, the electric-car purchase Federal income-tax credit remains safe. As we've written before, though, December 31 is the last day in which you can install an electric-car charging station and be able to deduct some of the costs from your income taxes. That credit allowed private individuals...

  • 2011 Honda AC-X Plug-In Hybrid Concept
    2011 Tokyo Motor Show: Honda Reveals Electric Car Concepts

    Honda is really covering all the bases with its latest concepts, due at the Tokyo Motor Show in just a few weeks time. From a city cars and sports cars to an electric mobility scooter the seven vehicles will appeal to totally different people, but all share a common theme: electric power. Honda...

  • 2012 Zero electric motorcycle range
    Zero Announces Faster, Longer-Range Electric Motorcycles For 2012

    Californian electric motorcycle firm Zero Motorcycles has just announced its 2012 range of all-electric motorcycles at the 2012 International Motorcycle Exhibition in Milan, Italy. Faster, more powerful, and with options available to give over 100 miles of range per charge, the 2012 Zero S, 2012...

News First Drives Electric Cars Hybrids Guides Green Life