December 21, 2022 Designing the Electric Motorcycle of 2035

Motorcycle trend analysis reveals the future of electric motorbike design and predicts continued resistance from bikers switching to EV.

Motorcycle trend analysis unveils a new future-gazing electric motorbike design, in collaboration with concept artist and biking enthusiast, Kar Lee, offering a snapshot of what electric motorbikes of the future will look like.

With increased backing for a global pledge to accelerate a shift to zero-emission vehicles at last month’s COP27, and the UK Government’s proposed ban of new petrol motorcycle sales from 2035, bikers will be restricted to only purchasing electric motorbikes within the next twelve years.

Specialist motorbike insurance broker, Bikesure, has teamed up with concept artist and biking expert, Kar Lee, to design the type of motorcycle we should expect to see on our roads from 2035 and discuss new technologies and design trends:

Lee, with over 25 years of industry design experience, said “Electric motorcycles don’t need to look crazily different from internal combustion engine (ICE) bikes for the sake of it, despite not needing to conform to the same rules, as the motor and battery on electric bikes can be placed anywhere.

“If looking for mass appeal, manufacturers should try and make electric motorbikes look like traditional motorcycles. There’s a fine line between making something look and work differently, but if it’s too unfamiliar prepare for it to be rejected by the public. So, while there’s plenty of room to be innovative in electric bike design, veering too far leftfield can cause issues with cultural acceptability.”

Over the next 15 years, we should expect electric motorcycles to:

• Become safer, with newer technology providing additional rider aids
• Go further on each charge and become more compact as battery technology evolves
• Begin to look more like their petrol counterparts, with batteries moving away from huge brick-like components and becoming more integrated into motorbike design
• Use battery housing as a stressed frame member, saving weight, but at the same time making battery replacement a trickier task
• Utilise plant-based materials in their design, with Yamaha already committed to using plant-derived cellulose nanofiber resin in its marine product
• Adopt wireless charging, which is already being trialled by Volvo and BMW

Lee’s design and trend analysis echoes the sentiment from the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA), who responded to the Government’s proposed 2035 ban on zero emission vehicles with the comment, “To increase uptake of these vehicles, the Government must adopt a four-fold approach: delivering appropriate products by ensuring supply ahead of demand, stimulating the market by driving demand, offer a viable alternative by improving access and incorporating powered two wheelers into infrastructure and communities by increasing integration.”

Rob Balls, Operations and Product Manager at Bikesure said, “As bike manufacturers get to grips with the nuances of electric motorbike design, you would be forgiven for assuming the bikes of the future will echo the machines seen in sci-fi movies like Tron and Judge Dredd. The reality is that as technology improves, bikes are more likely to mirror the conventional designs we are familiar with today and this is reflected in Kar Lee’s design.”

To learn more, and for an in-depth breakdown of Lee’s design and expert Q&A, visit – https://www.bikesure.co.uk/bikesureblog/2022/12/future-freewheeling.html

About Bikesure
Bikesure is one of the UK’s largest specialist motorbike insurance brokers, covering everything from electric motorcycles and powerful superbikes, right through to scooters and road-legal quad bikes.

About Kar Lee
With over 25 years’ experience as a graphic designer, including a decade as art editor for national magazines such as RiDE, Bike, Performance Bikes, Practical Sportsbikes and Digital Photo, Kar Lee is a creative concept artist and journalist. Specialising in motorcycles, Kar Lee has created over 200 concepts under Kardesign Koncepts.

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