What energy source will motorcycles be using in five years? Ten? Fifty?
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Kevin Cameron has been writing about motorcycles for nearly 50 years, first for
Cycle magazine and, since 1992, for
Cycle World. (Robert Martin/)I was cheered by the web discussion I watched this morning, whose speakers included Ducati CEO
Claudio Domenicali. Cheered, because this was not the usual ideological arm-waving but a serious discussion of how motorcycling can reach climate neutrality along with the rest of society. One of the speakers, Andreas Glück, is a member of the European Parliament; this tells us that Europe takes the motorcycle seriously as a legitimate form of transportation.
Here in the US, the assumption seems to be that everything must become electric: cars, trucks, motorcycles, airplanes, moon rockets. The group speaking this morning called for a broader approach:
technological neutrality. This means applying a variety of available decarbonizing technologies in a rational and appropriate way, rather than imposing a single solution upon all vehicles and situations. That variety includes:
- Synthetic fuels
- Hydrogen, used either via fuel cell/electric or by as a fuel in internal combustion engines (IC)
- Battery electric, using power from renewable sources such as wind and solar
Synthetic Fuels
Synthetic fuels are liquid hydrocarbons whose carbon content comes from the air; their use adds no net carbon to the atmosphere. Synthetic is the clear choice for future commercial aviation fuel, since no alternative of similar energy density exists. This alone guarantees large-volume synthesis of carbon-neutral fuels in our future. For surface transportation, synthetic fuels have the compelling advantage that the infrastructure for transporting and delivering them to users (pipelines, tanker trucks, gas stations) already exists.
Hydrogen as Fuel
Hydrogen, liberated from water by electrolysis using renewable electric power, can be used for propulsion either via fuel cells, which have a point-of-use efficiency of up to 60 percent, or by combustion in IC engines.
Battery-Powered Electric Bikes
Battery-electric drive requires charging points in adequate numbers. Although electric traction motors themselves are highly efficient, the battery weight the vehicle must carry is an easier proposition for cars than for motorcycles. The typical 1,200-pound battery in an electric car fits nicely under the floor. But because a motorcycle leans when turning, its battery must be higher, possibly compromising the bike’s weight distribution.
Adequate numbers of charging stations are a must for successful implementation of large-scale adoption. (Adam Campbell/)In Europe motorcycles are not regulated with respect to carbon dioxide emission, and no specific legislation is presently in the pipeline. This may change if the motorcycle sector increases in size (for example, in response to rising energy prices).
Motorcycling’s Role in Climate Neutrality
During 2018, in Europe, 1,400,000 motorcycles were sold, generating revenue of 21,400,000,000 euros and providing 389,000 jobs. Two-wheelers, the presenters also pointed out, are ideal for urban mobility.
Karl-Maria Grugl, an engineer representative from KTM, suggested the slogan “Right vehicle, right place, right energy carrier,” and proposed that battery-electric drive is most suited to short-range commuter two-wheelers in the under-250 category; for performance-class motorcycles and motorsport, synthetic carbon-neutral liquid fuels are the right choice.
Domenicali has been an engineer with Ducati for 31 years. Concerning his company’s products, he said, “We are not primarily providing mobility,” but are much more oriented to the experience of riding, for leisure, and to enjoy life. He saw four paths to making motorcycling sustainably carbon-neutral:
- Electric
- Biofuel
- eFuel (synthesized liquid fuel)
- Hydrogen for combustion
He clearly stated that it is “…far more difficult to electrify a motorcycle than a car.” He noted that Ducati will in future be supplying electric bikes for Dorna’s Grand Prix electric roadrace class. He observed that developing this racebike will give valuable understanding, but noted that “…performance is not near that of MotoGP.” (The present battery-electrics usually lap slightly faster than Moto3, a class using 55 hp single-cylinder IC engines.)
Synthetic fuels have the compelling advantage that the infrastructure for transporting and delivering them to users; at the moment some companies are creating stations with low-carbon fuels. (Propel Fuel Co./)Dorna’s aim is to operate its IC-powered MotoGP bikes on liquid fuels containing 40 percent non-fossil-sourced components by 2024, moving to 100 percent by 2027.
The Future of Fuels
Other speakers stated that synthesizing liquid fuels will require large-scale electric power. Imagining future solar collectors in sunny northwest Africa, that same location would be the logical place for the synthesis plants. Liquid fuels are highly portable, and oil tankers, pipelines, and extensive storage already exist, making this an attractive possibility. Such synthetic fuels are now market-ready and meet applicable European standards. The cost? At present “less than $2 a liter,” or roughly $8 per gallon.
The presenters emphasized that synfuels must not be “thrown overboard over the single issue of efficiency.” Efficiency is attractive, but the cost of replacing large current infrastructure investment is also a consideration.
Europe has become a global leader in efforts to achieve climate neutrality. One hopes Europe’s technological neutrality, that willingness to consider a spectrum of technologies, will be also exported to the rest of the world.