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Indian Electric Two-Wheelers

By General Posts

Competitive in features, pricing and target audience

eFTR Hooligan 1.2 priced at $3,999 is an electric bicycle by Indian Motorcycle and SUPER73®. They have partnered to bring adventurers, fun-seekers and motorcyclists together with the eFTR Hooligan 1.2 electric bike.

While lot has been published and reported on Harley-Davidson’s electric adventures including Serial 1 electric bicycles and of course LiveWire becoming a separate company, few have awareness of the electric offerings from Indian Motorcycle within Polaris Industries.

Plus the eFTR Jr and eFTR Mini are targeted at kids with very lucrative prices.

Read this overview of electric offerings from Indian Motorcycle Company by clicking here

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New Petrol Motorcycles still getting launched in India?

By General Posts

A motorcycle major has launched a new model to compete in mid-segment motorcycles below 750cc.

Even as Electric two-wheeler and four-wheeler demands keep increasing, why would people still want some ICE engines?

How & why global net zero emissions and electrified vehicles cannot be achieved as simply as signing international agreements? Apart from few options to generate electricity, its not really developing nations’ vehicles that consume most fuel.

READ the full Article with examples at Bikernet.com – Click Here

Editor’s Note: Views expressed or reported in the Article are those of the author alone.

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At Largest Market: Two-wheeler sales crash to 10-year-low in FY22

By General Posts

Two-wheeler sales crash to 10-year-low in FY22; motorcycles fall below 9 mn
India is the largest manufacturer of two-wheelers and also the largest market for it. (China being second)

One of the primary reasons for this downfall is the spiraling cost of fuel prices.
by John from https://www.newswwc.com/

New Delhi: Rural distress impacted the Indian two-wheeler segment, one of the largest in the world, in a big way that their sales in 2021-22 fell sharply, for the first time in ten years, to 13,466,000 units, as per the latest data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). It was in 2011-2012 that the two-wheeler sales were close to this number at 13,409,00.

( India’s Financial Year is calculated as from 01-April-2021 to 31-March-2022 )

Throughout the year, demand for motorcycles and scooters was impacted by rural distress and higher ownership cost amidst soaring fuel prices. Sales of two-wheelers, particularly motorcycles failed to gather momentum even during the festive months, leaving the companies burdened with a pile of unsold stocks. As a result, the overall sales of motorcycles fell below the 9-lakh mark for the first time since 2016-2017, SIAM report said.

One of the primary reasons for this downfall is the spiraling cost of fuel prices. Barring two months, petrol prices escalated in almost all months of FY22, sometimes even thrice a month that severely impacted the demand of entry-level motorcycles which is the primary choice of the budget-conscious low-income consumers.

New motorcycle sales are directly correlated with fuel prices, as 62% of the country’s fuel sales are consumed by the two-wheeler segment.

According to market experts, spike in auto fuel prices has triggered the rate of deferment majorly among the consumers of below 125cc two-wheelers that hold about 80% of the total market. Besides, shortage of semiconductors and high container charges have also deterred the production levels of OEMs.

Besides, frequent price hikes by the OEMs to overcome the spike in input cost coupled with moderation in rural demand hugely deterred the buying sentiments of consumers.

Additionally, electric vehicle demand continues to witness pickup in the states with higher government incentives like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Karnataka etc., which are also key markets for conventional two-wheelers.

All the segments except the two wheelers are in green. Passenger vehicle sales grew 13.2% to 30,69,499 units in FY 22 compared to 27,11,457 units in FY21. Sales of passenger cars stood at 14,67,056 units, utility vehicles at 14,89,178 units and vans at 1,13,265 units.

As fuel prices skyrocket and concerns grow over the running cost of petrol and diesel vehicles, the electric vehicles market has quietly started to build up. As fiscal 2021-22 came to a close, the green brigade — still small in numbers — seems to be coming of age, also charged by government subsidies.

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Mandate Madness: Latest Episode of Bandit’s Cantina

By General Posts

Bandit’s Cantina Episode 98: Mandate Madness
Trying Business Survival in Los Angeles
By Bandit with George Fleming and Jon Towle Illustrations

Between Covid and multiple mandates, the Cantina business model imploded. It was no longer about food and parties. It was all about survival. Every Monday morning the staff met to discuss how to get through the next week.

More and more young loners came to the Cantina to help or hide out. Walker’s Café on Pt. Fermin closed after almost 70 years as a coastal biker hangout. Between break-ins and anti-fossil fuel zealots Bikers were no longer allowed to ride along the scenic winding coast.

Brothers who needed cash sold extra parts in a small swap area in the Cantina garages. Some gave parts to the Cantina to sell to pay the bills, others brought stuff to sell and split with the Cantina.

CLICK HERE To Read Latest Episode of Bandit’s Cantina – The Series.

Join the Cantina to catch-up on this incredible journey.

Click Here to Sign-up before the 100th Episode Milestone.

Electric Cars Can Kiss My Ass

By General Posts

Eclectic article on Electrifying Changes in Our Lives

by the Wicked Bitch

Here it from the lady who has driven everywhere and tweaked the vehicle to get anywhere. ‘Charge’ up your courage and decide the road for your own fate.

“My dad bragged that I could tell a Ford from a Chevy by the time I learned to walk.. and when i did learn to walk, I left tiny handprints in the dust of an old yellow Volkswagen bug in the corner of the shop.”

CLICK HERE To Read this “Heart to Kickin’ Butt” article on Bikernet.com

Join the Cantina if you aim to Ride Free Forever!!! Sign up by Clicking Here.

Try the Climate Quiz by CO2 Coalition

By General Posts

The Great Climate Change Debate is one of the “hottest” issues before the public and policy makers today.

How much do you know about the subject?

Or possibly, the real question is one attributed to American humorist Will Rogers: “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble, it’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”

Find out your Climate IQ by taking our Climate Quiz: the answers may surprise you.

CLICK HERE To Take the Climate Quiz Now

The CO2 Coalition was established in 2015 as a 501(c)(3) for the purpose of educating thought leaders, policy makers, and the public about the important contribution made by carbon dioxide to our lives and the economy.

Aptera Motors Beta Vehicle

By General Posts

Happy Holidays from Beta!

It’s been a BUSY last few weeks for Aptera. We’ve been hard at work building our first Beta vehicles and now we can gladly say the long hours have paid off. We achieved our goal of taking our first drive in Beta before year’s end and we cannot wait to share more footage with the entire Aptera family soon!

Over the last few weeks, we finished the assembly and fine tuning of our very first Beta, which includes impressive improvements in the front and rear suspension as well as neater cable routing of our in-wheel motors. This first Beta will be used for vehicle dynamics testing and for the validation of our suspension design.

WHO’S READY TO SEE IT ON THE TRACK?

Because of your incredible support of Aptera, this is just one of many milestones we hit in 2021. We now have over 150 employees, 15,000 future Aptera owners and over 8,000 Aptera shareholders from all over the world. We are so humbled by the support of so many people who share our commitment to building the world’s most efficient transportation.

We are stepping into the New Year with a lot to be grateful for and much excitement for the year ahead.

BEST WISHES TO YOU FROM THE ENTIRE APTERA FAMILY!

Still need a last minute holiday gift? You can get 50% off an Aptera pre-order reservation (a value of up to $50) for a loved one until the end of the year. Use promo code HOLIDAY50 at checkout to qualify. And don’t forget, our fundraising round will also be closing on December 31 at midnight.

WEBSITE : https://www.aptera.us/

Climate Dogma Killed Biden’s “Build Back Better”

By General Posts

by Michael Shellenberger

A half trillion dollars to subsidize renewables would have raised energy prices, worsened inflation, and undermined decarbonization. But what do we do now?

The centerpiece of President Joe Biden’s legislative agenda is dead. Senator Joe Manchin today announced that he could not support Biden’s “Build Back Better” legislation which consisted of $1.7 trillion in new spending and would have added $158 billion to the national debt over the next decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The largest component of spending, $570 billion, was for renewables, electric cars, and other climate change investments.

Progressives, environmentalists, and Democrats are furious with Sen. Manchin, but it was their own climate and renewables dogmatism that doomed the legislation. Democratic Senators could have written legislation that expanded nuclear energy and natural gas, the two main drivers of decarbonization, which are strongly supported by Manchin, and Republicans, but instead investments went overwhelmingly to solar panels, wind turbines, and electric cars.

It’s true that there were good things in Build Back Better, and that one of the worst climate provisions, the Clean Energy Performance Program, was already removed. Build Back Better included a tax credit for existing nuclear power plants, funding for advanced nuclear fuels, funding for fusion R&D, and financial support for communities hurt by the transition to renewables.

But the money for nuclear would not have made much if any difference to the operating of nuclear plans. Nuclear plants in California, Massachusetts and New York are being shut down, despite already being profitable, for ideological reasons. Legislatures in less anti-nuclear states like Illinois, New Jersey, and Connecticult step in to save their plants when they need to. And higher electricity prices due to natural gas shortages are making nuclear plants in other states even more profitable.

Of Build Back Better’s $550 billion for climate and energy, the vast majority of it was for weather-dependent renewables and their enabling infrastructure, including $29 billion for a “green bank” program to finance renewables and $10 billion for rural electric cooperatives to switch to renewables. Such subsidies were being offered despite years of false claims by many of the legislation’s sponsors and advocates that solar and wind were already cheaper than grid electricity.

Most dangerously, Build Back Better would have undermined electricity reliability, raised energy prices, and made the U.S. more dependent on foreign energy imports. Over-reliance on weather-dependent renewables in Texas and California, and under-investment in reliable, weather-independent nuclear and natural gas plants, led directly to deadly blackouts in those states.

I testified as much to this problem to Manchin’s Senate Commitee on Energy and Natural Resources, and Sen. Manchin made clear today that the role of renewables in making electricity expensive and unreliable was one of his top concerns. “The main thing that we need is dependability and reliability,” he said this morning. “If not, you’ll have what happened in Texas and California.” In his statement, Manchin said, “If enacted, the bill will also risk the reliability of our electric grid and increase our dependence on foreign supply chains.”

Adding weather-dependent energy sources can only make grids more resilient if significantly more money is spent maintaining reliable power sources to make up for their lost revenue and lost operation hours. That’s what Germany has done, deciding to burn more coal rather than continue operating its nuclear plants, which it’s shutting down, or rely too heavily on imported natural gas.

Manchin is also right that Build Back Better would increase dependence on energy imports. Over 80% of the world’s solar panels are made in China by incarcerated Uighyr Muslims living in concentration camps and against whom the Chinese government is committing “genocide,” according to the U.S. State Department.

Build Back Better contained incentives for the return of solar manufacturing to the U.S., but they were far too small to compete with solar panels made by incarcerated people in China’s already-built and heavily-subsidized mega-factories. Nor did they deal with the coming solar panel waste crisis.

“We have been energy independent for the first time for the first time in 60, 70 years or more,” noted Manchin, “and we should not have to depend on other parts of the world to give us the energy, or be able to hold us hostage for the energy, or the foreign supply chains that we need for the products we need every day.”

Everywhere in the world that solar and wind are deployed at scale they increase electricity prices dramatically. California increased its electricity prices seven times more than the rest of the U.S. over the last decade. Germany has the highest electricity prices in Europe, and is breaking new records with the energy shortage caused by lack of adequate natural gas supplies globally.

And now the entire world is paying the price of climate alarmism and renewables dogmatism. Climate shareholder activism and the ESG “sustainable” investment movement caused governments and private sector actors to underinvest in oil and gas production and over-invest in weather-dependent renewables. The result is historic shortages of natural gas and oil.

For the last several weeks Europen and Asian nations have been breaking records for the cost of electricity, due to shortages of natural gas supplies. Oil prices are set to rise to $125 per barrel next year and $150 in 2023, and U.S. winter natural gas prices will be 30% higher this year. Even nuclear-heavy France, which became over-invested in renewables and natural gas, and under-invested in nuclear, is seeing record electricity prices.

But what then, does it mean for climate change? And what should be done to safeguard American energy supplies going forward?

Harley’s electric motorcycle division to go public via $1.7 billion SPAC deal

By General Posts

from https://www.cnbc.com/

Key Points :

  • Harley-Davidson’s electric-motorcycle division will go public through a merger with a blank-check firm in a deal valued at $1.77 billion, the company said on Monday.
  • The company launched LiveWire earlier this year, hoping to claw back lost market share as its core baby boomer customer base grows older and interest in motorcycling as a recreational activity fades.
  • Harley-Davidson will retain a 74% stake in the company, which is expected to list on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “LVW.”

Harley-Davidson’s electric-motorcycle division will go public through a merger with a blank-check firm in a deal valued at $1.77 billion, the company said on Monday, as the 118-year old brand bets on younger customers to boost volumes.

The company launched LiveWire earlier this year, hoping to claw back lost market share as its core baby boomer customer base grows older and interest in motorcycling as a recreational activity fades.

A broader awareness about climate change is also paving the way for automakers to lean towards greener vehicles. Valuations have gained as money managers are also increasingly factoring in ESG policies in their investments.

Harley is the latest to cash in on an uptick in valuations of electric-vehicle makers. Last month, Amazon-backed EV maker Rivian shot past $100 billion in valuation in its market debut, surpassing Ford and General Motors.

“If anything this underlines what we’ve been saying for a long time. Detroit, wake up! The train has left the station! EVs are inevitable,” Roth Capital analyst Craig Irwin said.

“Many traditional OEMs (Original equipment manufacturers) with emerging EV businesses can obviously do similar spinoff transactions,” Irwin added.

Harley’s shares rose 11.3% in premarket trading, while those of AEA-Bridges were up 3.4%.

Jochen Zeitz, Harley’s chief executive, will be the chairman of LiveWire for up to two years following the completion of the deal. In an investor presentation, LiveWire projected units sales volume of 100,961 electric bikes by 2026.

Harley-Davidson will retain a 74% stake in the company, which is expected to list on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “LVW.” ABIC’s shareholders will own about 17%.

Super Soco TCMax & TS Street Hunter Electric Motorcycles

By General Posts

Super Soco TCMax 2022

from https://www.rushlane.com/ by Satya Singh

Vmoto Soco had unveiled multiple products at EICMA 2021 including electric scooters, motorcycles and fleet vehicles

Currently focused on European and US markets, Vmoto Soco Group will eventually expand its footprint globally.

The company has set ambitious plans to emerge as one of the leading brands in e-mobility. Towards that end, Vmoto Soco spent some busy days at 2021 EICMA, where a number of new electric vehicles were showcased.

Two of these are Super Soco TS Street Hunter, which seeks inspiration from the naked streetfighter design format. The other one is TCMax retro motorcycle.

2022 Super Soco Electric Motorcycles – styling and features
Vmoto Soco’s TS range currently has TS and TS-X electric motorcycles.

Overall styling of TS Street Hunter looks familiar to these motorcycles.

Some key features include a quirky headlamp face, spear-shaped turn signals, wide handlebar, sculpted fuel tank, prominent side fairing, single-piece seat and trendy tail lamp.

Super Soco TS Street Hunter

It is likely that TS Street Hunter will be borrowing several of its features from existing TS motorcycles. There could be slight variations or tweaks in line with the bike’s sportier profile. Things like an all-LED lighting setup and full-digital instrument console are apparent.

Instrument console used on TS 2021 displays a range of information such as battery status, real-time speed, odometer, full range, air temperature, clock and riding map. The screen has minimalistic black lettering against a light grey background, which should work well in terms of visibility in both bright and dark conditions. Any fancy stuff appears to have been intentionally avoided to save battery power.

Another notable feature is racing-style side wings. These not only work to enhance the bike’s looks, but also ensure better cooling and improved stability at high speed. Like other TS bikes, TS Street Hunter could get ample storage space. This will make it more practical for everyday use.

Super Soco TS Street Hunter powertrain
Powering the bike is a 2500W high-performance wheel hub motor. Applicable torque is 180 Nm. Existing Super Soco TS motorcycle also has a 2500W hub motor, which could be the same as TS Street Hunter. However, things like range and top speed could be different on both bikes. Considering that TS Street Hunter will focus on performance, it will have a relatively higher top speed and lower range.

Super Soco TS has max range of 200km, when used with a dual battery setup at a speed of 25 kmph. Top speed is 75 kmph. Maximum load capacity is 150 kg. The bike utilizes a 60v 32 Ah lithium-ion battery pack. It can be charged from 0 to 100% in around 3 hours 30 minutes.

Charging time will be more in case of dual-battery setup. Battery packs are located at a lower height, which improves the bike’s handling and balance. The battery system comes with features such as battery balancer, temperature protection and short circuit protection. It is likely that Super Soco TS Street Hunter will be equipped with connectivity platform. It could get features such as remote access, keyless start, and anti-theft alarm.