Metropolitan Police introduces electric motorcycle as global sales expected to take o

[Bob]

London, UK: The Metropolitan Police force has confirmed it is to trial a Zero Dual Sport (DS) bike, provided by Zero Motorcycles, as part of efforts to cut emissions.

The bike will be used by the Motorcycle Tasking Team – which educates motorcyclists on safe road behaviour – as well as the BikeSafe and ScooterSafe training programmes.

The trial follows a similar trial in California, where the local police has used the Zero DS in local patrols and traffic control. One of the additional benefits mentioned when the trial (with the Scotts Valley force) was underway was the ability to follow and monitor potential situations silently (so not making it obvious the criminal was being watched) as the Zero DS makes no sound when running.

At the same time, analysts Pike Research has predicted a ‘sharp increase’ in the sales of electric motorcycles in Europe over the next six years. Pike Research predicts e-motorcycle sales doubling each year in Western Europe with Eastern Europe seeing an ‘explosive’ growth in sales of 138% annually.

"For now, sales numbers are low, but manufacturers of two-wheeled electric vehicles are finding specialty niches that will provide solid growth early on in the next decade," says senior analyst Dave Hurst. "E-scooters, for example, are effective for small parcel deliveries, while police forces are gravitating toward e-motorcycles to save money on fuel."

China is expected to be the major market, with predictions of 13.5 million electric motorcycles and scooters being sold each year.

[swbarnett]

China is expected to be the major market, with predictions of 13.5 million electric motorcycles and scooters being sold each year.

The thing noone seems to be considering is where all that electricity is going to come from. The three gorges dam was a travesty on a number of levels (particularly environmental and archeological).

Electric vehicles themselves may be "zero emmision" but the factories making the batteries and the electricity generators certainly aren't. I've yet to see a holistic calculation of the real emissions of these vehicles.