Electric or ICE? It’s the big question bouncing about our good industry, and everybody has an opinion – from KTM’s focus on synthetic fuels to the electric-bound projects of motorcycle marques like Triumph, Honda, and Bajaj.
Suffice it to say that everybody is snatching up pieces of what they think the future will look like, with predictions revolving around emissions goals for which the EU and UK have been the unofficial trend-setters.
That trend, by the way, is – gradually – turning toward alternative fuel options.
Hell hath officially frozen over…
If you recall, Europe’s been gunning to be “the first climate-neutral continent” (via the European Commission), with electric power being the main conduit to future emissions goals. Originally, part of those goals meant banning new cars and vans in 2035, synthetic fuels included.
MCN tells us there’s now an exemption for synthetic.
“First up, the EU has approved an exemption to the ban on new internal combustion engines that will allow vehicles running on e-fuels to remain on the market after 2035,” states Stuart Prestidge in the report.
A group of motorcycles courtesy of Cardo Systems.The new trajectory is christened “Fuelling the Future” – a 54-page bit of cheer accompanied by the following anecdote:
“… the case for full electrification in private cars is ‘the received wisdom’, and therefore needs further scrutiny and investigation… Given that existing private cars will remain on the road for some time, drop-in replacement fuels from renewable sources could be a no-risk, very sensible, and economically sound approach.”
The report has been well-received by members of the EU Powersports industry who have been looking to improve on the synthetic fuel industry – names like Coryton, a company that helped create a synthetic fuel that took the BRX Prodrive Hunter to “six consecutive stage wins in this year’s Dakar Rally.”
“For years, we were trying to almost get just a reality check of people just accepting that sustainable fuels existed,” admits Luke Goldsmith, Coryton’s Sales Director.
“Just [read] in the report the point that the Government’s putting its eggs in one basket and talking about the emperor’s new clothes. Language like that is a massive step change.”
What do you think? Is electricity the fuel of the future, or will we see a long-term continuation of our good ICE industry?