Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1501265
replace fossil fuels. Because it's not so much the fossil fuel I'm in love with so much as internal combustion itself. All due re- spect to the Ryvid Anthem and the Rawrr Mantis, the Starks, the Cakes, the Livewires… it's just not the same experience as putting spark to fuel. It's the moving, breathing internal combustion that truly gives a motorcycle its soul. The beating heart of a pis - ton, the way the pulsating power of a four-stroke grips the dirt, the internal rotating masses that are generated by a parallel twin versus a v-twin (or a single, or a triple!) are what produce the dis - tinct character of a motorcycle. It is a living, breathing, hot-blooded machine—I can hear it, feel it and smell it. My motorcycle has a soul. An electric motorcycle has an on/off switch where the throttle should be. So, it seems the major mo - torcycle manufacturers on both sides of the globe are still in hot pursuit of better options for decarbonizing the two-wheel experience, and whether it's for love of that soulful thump, or sheer logistics of energy density, not many seem to think electric power is a viable solution for full-size motorcycles. It makes sense for consumer automotives and micro-mobility, but the major motorcycle manufacturers just aren't ready to let go of the inter - nal combustion model. And to that, I say hallelujah! I'm all for a cleaner environment and under- stand the need to de-carbonize. But if we can do that without losing our souls, that would be a dream come true. CN petrol fuel, diesel and even jet fuel. Sounds almost too good to be true, right? Companies like Pierer Mobility, BMW Motorrad and countries like Saudi Arabia think it's perfectly attainable, and they're all in. "We have set up lobbying groups for synthetic fuel with many different European com - panies… and in Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, they are starting to make the necessary huge invest - ment in equipment for producing synthetic fuel on a commercially viable industrial basis." These lobbying groups have had success so far convincing the aforementioned "politically un - educated politicians" in Europe to include an exemption for synthetic fuel-equipped vehicles in the 2035 ban on new combustion engines. Pierer goes on to explain how synthetic fuels could utilize existing pipelines while hydrogen cannot, and how synthetic fuels can also potentially be used in the 1.6 billion internal combustion engines already on the road. "It's a scientific gasoline, and you can fill your existing motorcycle with it, and it works just fine," Pierer ex - plains. "In MotoGP we are going in 2024 to a blend of 40% synthet- ic with conventional race fuel, and in 2026 or 2027 it should go to 100%, like in Formula 1. Together, we will save the planet—and have fun racing!" Read the full Stefan Pierer three-part interview series on Motorcycle.com. That all sounds pretty great to me, and I'll be cheering on both the Japanese HySE association, and the synthetic fuel effort of the Europeans in this race to in the 100 kilos to get the electric equivalent? Maybe in my ruck - sack or on the luggage rack?? Don't talk about an adventure bike with pretensions for cover- ing big distances on or off-road. This is stupid." Of course, KTM isn't ignorant to electric powertrains. The com - pany came out with the Freeride in 2013, and does decent sales with its electric mini motocross - ers. E-bikes have their place in the scope of motorcycling, and according to Pierer, who was President of the European As - sociation of Motorcycle Manu- facturers (ACEM) at the time of a 2 022 Speedweek.com interview, stated "unlike the automotive industry, we have a clear global vision of where we are headed. We are assuming that with 48- volt electrics, that is 11 kilowatts or 15 horsepower, a lot will become electric in the next 10 years… Everything that concerns motorized two-wheelers over 48 volts is going in the direction of e-fuels. There are very clear development plans between the manufacturers." In short, electromobility is stupid nonsense, and only small vehicles up to 15 hp (11kW) are suitable for electric replacement. So how do they plan to decarbon - ize? Synthetic fuel. And no, that does not mean hydrogen. Synthetic fuel, also called e-fuel, is produced using carbon- dioxide (or -monoxide) extracted from the atmosphere, and com - bining it with hydrogen obtained from a renewable electricity source (wind or solar). These e-fuels could potentially replace P134 CN II CROSS-RUTTED