Well, it’s finally happening.
After years of being a client-exclusive brand, Tesla has unveiled a universal supercharger network that will be made available and compatible with all current electric cars. The pilot program is being released in late 2021, so we’re expecting the full deal to be soon available on the EU market, with high hopes that there won’t be too long a wait until the network crosses to the colonies.
“Wait…cars??” you gripe.
“Stick to the script…what does this mean for our bikes?”
Quite a lot, actually.
With the average electric motorcycle requiring at least twice the juice of the standard electric scooter, bikers converting to a clean commute are finding themselves stuck between the convenience (and limitations) of smaller swappable battery systems such as the Gogoro network being debuted in China, and the bigger, heavier tanks of the electric Powersports industry – behemoths that might sport the specs, but pay dearly for the performance with a longer pricetag – at least for now.
Currently, there is an immediate need for a machine that can travel far distances, maintain competitive power specs, and still be fun to swing a leg over. But here’s the rub – the electric industry isn’t quite yet at the point where their machines can be directly compared to our fossil fuel counterparts, units that sport a longer evolution of efficiency and improvement.
So what’s the compromise?
A lighter, torquey unit supported by more accessible power banks would be highly versatile (as long as the specs still showed quality durability) – and in this case, Tesla’s move to make their superchargers universal is just the beginning of what we anticipate to be possible for the two-wheeled EV industry as we know it.
Think about it.
Tesla brags in a report from RideApart that “the advanced charging station allows users to regain 200 miles of range in 15 minutes.”
Imagine what that would look like with a compatible electric motorcycle, how that would change the current EV space for users worldwide. You won’t be waiting long; Tesla Superchargers have a standardized Combined Charging System (CCS) and bikes like the Lightning Strike are already being created to make use of this compatibility.
With more than 30,000 superchargers available in this network (and a limited pilot program that promises expansion once the stage of feedback analysis is successful), the world is even closer to an efficient, EV-friendly commute – and one step closer to being useful for the two-wheeled traffic, too.
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Drop a comment letting us know what you think, and as always – stay safe on the twisties.
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