Five things you should know about electric motorcycles 

By now you already know that two of the advantages of electric motorcycles are lower day-to-day running costs and strong acceleration thanks to instant torque. Both are true, and they go a long way to explaining the appeal. Charging at home is usually cheaper per kilometre than buying petrol – especially at the moment – and far simpler servicing can also reduce ongoing costs.

In terms of instant torque, electric motors deliver their drive immediately, which makes acceleration feel direct and responsive, even when the power figure looks modest. That’s because torque in an electric motor is produced as soon as current flows, rather than building with engine speed, so full drive is available from the moment you open the throttle.

Beyond that, it comes down to how these bikes actually use energy, how they’re charged, what affects range and how they fit into real-world riding. Here’s a handful of other things you should be aware of if you’re thinking of introducing an electric bike into your stable.

Related: Five electric motorcycles to beat the fuel crisis

Not unlike manufacturer claims around the tank range of a petrol-powered bike, the quoted range figures are generally best-case scenario. Real-world range changes with speed, throttle use, terrain, load and weather, which means the number on a spec sheet is best treated as a guide rather than a promise. Higher speeds and heavier energy demands reduce range more quickly, while stop-start riding can allow some bikes to recover energy through regenerative braking. However, aggressive regen settings can also reduce efficiency compared with coasting, where the bike carries momentum with minimal drag instead of converting that energy back and forth. Very cold conditions can also reduce available range.

An electric motorcycle used for urban or mixed commuting will usually get closer to its claimed figure than one spending long periods at sustained freeway speeds.

Battery capacity is measured in kilowatt-hours, or kWh. The easiest way to think about it is as the size of the bike’s energy store. In broad terms, a bigger kWh figure means more potential range, just as a bigger fuel tank gives a petrol bike more potential distance between fills.

That said, capacity is only part of the equation. Two electric motorcycles with similar battery sizes may return very different real-world range depending on weight, aerodynamics, power delivery and how efficiently they use that stored energy. How the bike is ridden also plays a major role, particularly at higher speeds where energy use rises quickly.

A useful way to look at it is energy consumption. Some manufacturers quote figures such as watt-hours per kilometre (Wh/km), which show how efficiently a bike uses its battery. A lower number generally means better efficiency and more distance from the same capacity. When that data isn’t available, comparing claimed range against battery size can give a rough guide to efficiency. Dividing range by battery capacity gives a simple km-per-kWh figure, which shows how far a bike can travel for each unit of stored energy.

Most electric motorcycles are easiest to live with when they can be charged at home. That means plugging into a standard household outlet overnight and starting the next day with a full or near-full battery, and/or doing the same while at work. That slower, low-power charging approach suits a lot of two-wheel EVs, as their batteries are much smaller than those in cars, so they don’t need the same infrastructure to be practical day to day.

Faster AC and DC charging options do exist, but it helps to understand the difference. AC charging is what you get from the grid at home or from most public chargers, and the bike’s onboard charger determines how quickly it can convert that power into stored energy. DC fast charging bypasses that onboard system and feeds power directly to the battery, which can reduce charging times significantly – but only if the bike is designed to accept it. Many electric motorcycles don’t support DC fast charging at all, or only at limited rates.

In terms of compatibility, not every electric motorcycle uses the same charging hardware and not every charger delivers the same output. Public infrastructure is often described in levels, with Level 2 AC chargers being common in public spaces and DC fast chargers designed for rapid top-ups, but a bike still needs the right connection and charging capability to make use of them.

It’s also worth separating motorcycles from what you might know about electric cars. Car charging centres around large batteries and ultra-fast charging, but most motorcycles simply don’t need that to remain practical. For riders planning trips beyond the daily commute, the useful questions are where you can charge, how long it will take on the chargers available and whether your bike can actually use the equipment you’ve found.

Electric motorcycles remove some of the routine maintenance of a petrol-powered bike. There’s no engine oil, no spark plugs and no air filter, which can simplify servicing and reduce regular workshop costs. Battery condition and thermal management become more relevant instead, and owners still need to keep an eye on tyres, brakes, suspension and the final drive, just as they would on any other motorcycle.

There’s also less heat and fewer moving parts to deal with. Without combustion, high engine temperatures and constant vibration, components are generally under less stress, which can reduce wear and the likelihood of fasteners working loose.

Many electric motorcycles sold in Australia can be ridden on a LAMS licence. Approval comes down to power-to-weight, whether the model is on the approved list and whether it remains in standard form. Just like the eligibility criteria for petrol-powered bikes, an electric bike must sit at or below the 150kW/tonne limit and cannot be modified to increase its power-to-weight ratio.

Importantly, torque is not factored into the LAMS eligibility criteria. And because electric motorcycles deliver torque immediately, even a LAMS-approved model’s acceleration can feel surprisingly quick.

Once you understand these fundamentals, it’s easier to see how an electric motorcycle may fit your riding needs.