Electric motorcycle and scooter sales booming as gas prices soar

Gas prices have been steadily climbing, and alongside them sales of electric motorcycles are rising as well.

The upward crawl of gas prices has been felt around the world, and it has provided yet another shot in the arm for manufacturers of electric motorcycles and scooters.

One of the biggest beneficiaries of the sales boost has been low-cost electric motorcycle and scooter manufacturers.

Asian countries like India have seen some of the largest effects from this phenomenon, where high gas prices and low-cost electric scooters abound.

Okinawa, a large scooter manufacturer in India, recently reported a 30% sales jump in the last quarter alone. The company attributes this largely to the rise in gasoline prices.

As ShiftingGears reported, Okinawa was also the first company to qualify for Indian government’s FAME II subsidy for electric motorcycles.

The company is set to capitalize on this momentum with the upcoming release of a new electric motorcycle, the Okinawa Oki 100. The price hasn’t been publicly released yet, but industry insiders expect it to fall around the 100,000 INR ($1,375 USD) mark.

In the US, such low-cost electric motorcycles and scooters are a bit more rare.

California-based CSC Motorcycles offers the CSC City Slicker, a 45 mph (72 km/h) light electric motorcycle similar to the Oki100 for $2,495.

We previously reviewed the City Slicker, and you can see our review video below.

The company also produces Vespa-style seated electric scooters in the $1,995 to $2,495 range.

But it isn’t just value-priced electric motorcycles that are flying out of dealerships. Full-size and full-cost electric motorcycle sales have been on the rise as well.

Energica, an Italian manufacturer of electric sport bikes in the $20K+ range, has seen extensive year-over-year growth both domestically and in foreign markets such as the US.

The company recently shared sales figures indicating that in just the first quarter of 2021, it had already reached half of its 2020 electric motorcycle sales numbers. Additionally, nearly a third of those electric motorcycles were sold in the US.

While rising gas prices don’t have as large of an effect on sales of high-dollar electric motorcycles compared to low-cost e-motorcycles and scooters, they do stand to highlight one of the key benefits of electric motorcycles.

Without being tied to a pump, electric motorcycle riders are insulated from fluctuating gasoline prices, and can instead “fill up” on much less expensive electricity from any wall outlet.

New electric motorcycles with much lower price tags are beginning to enter the market as well. The SONDORS Metacycle debuted in January with a $5,000 price tag. The bike’s 80 mph (130 km/h) top speed enables its use as a full commuter motorcycle, though one with a price not normally seen for this level of performance.

The Metacycle also features a removable battery, which we recently got to see in action. The battery can be removed from the motorcycle and charged indoors, providing up to 80 miles (130 km) of range per charge.