All-electric: MV Agusta thinks EU decision to end sale of petrol motorbikes is ‘aggressive’

With the UK government’s refusal to sell non-zero emission motorcycles by 2035 (and Triumph’s TE-1, Ducati’s V21L, Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire and Can Am’s recent fodder in the electric industry) comes the opinion of MV Agusta on the matter; and while the iconic Italian brand believes in the use of electric motorcycles – evidenced by its range of e-bikes and e-scooters – it doesn’t believe the technology is ready for higher-performance models.

Not yet anyway.

That’s the opinion of Agusta’s director of research and development, Brian Gillen, who for a while sat with Multi-channel network to talk about it.

Agusta’s director of research and development, Brian Gillen. Media sourced from MCN.

“The government’s proposed plan to phase out gas-powered bicycles by 2035 is an aggressive stance that sends a clear message,” Gillen admits.

“There are many technical hurdles that must be overcome to enable the motorcycle industry to achieve current levels of performance and range with the same or less weight and cost than current internal combustion engines. ”

View of a zero emission scooter from the MV Agusta ranges. Media sourced from MCN.

With strong industry demands for versatile, small-capacity city scoots, MV Agusta’s current zero-emission ranges are reaping the benefits of the economy – but will Agusta ever commit to transferring its successes into fossil-fuel machines towards greater electric motorcycle construction?

A larger motorcycle built courtesy of MV Agusta. Media sourced from MCN.

“We strongly believe that due to the limited space available on a bike, the best solution will be fully electric rather than hybrid for performance and touring bikes,” Gillan agrees.

“Currently, the technology exists for low-performance intra-urban mobility motorcycles with limited range…but battery technology for performance-oriented full-size motorcycles is not available on an industrial scale.”

The MV Agusta plant. Media sourced from MCN.

With EICMA months away, we’re looking forward to the season’s reveals – and who knows, maybe MV Agusta is up to something and Gillan just has a stellar poker face.

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*Media from Multi-channel network*