The MUL.E Shows Where Tactical Electric Motorcycles Are Headed
Electric motorcycles are finding a very specific job on the battlefield, and Ukraine is taking the idea seriously.
The country's Ministry of Defence has approved the Ukrainian-built MUL.E, adding an all-wheel-drive e-moto to a growing fleet of battery-powered bikes. This one is built around some of the things electric does particularly well.
Ukraine's MUL.E Gets The Military Nod
The MUL.E was developed by a Ukrainian defence manufacturer. It's a 2x2 machine, with an independent electric motor driving each wheel to keep it going across mud, sand, snow and marshland. If one is damaged or fails, the other can still provide power.
The Ministry says the bike can travel almost 100km on a full charge. But a military motorcycle can't exactly stop when the battery does. So what happens when it runs out? The MUL.E carries a removable petrol generator. It can recharge the batteries, or be removed and used to power communications equipment, phones, drones or other kit in the field.
Then there's the low-pressure rubber. Ukraine says the bike's ground pressure is similar to that of an infantry soldier's foot, reducing the likelihood of triggering mines designed for heavier vehicles. Of course that's a long way from calling it “mine-proof”, and we're not going to make that claim.
This isn't happening in isolation. Ukraine has contracted for 1,500 motorcycles for its armed forces in 2026, three times the previous year's volume. The WOLFSTORM, approved for military use earlier this year, takes a different approach. It's closer to a lightweight enduro for tactical work. The MUL.E is more like, well, it says it on the tin: a working mule.
It's been tested and approved for service, but we don't have months of battlefield experience to tell us how it performs when the going gets really rough. We also only have one image of the bike, and even that has raised questions over whether it's a genuine photograph.
The BCB Take
The MUL.E isn't a petrol motorcycle with the engine ripped out and a battery bolted in. It's designed around the things electric does well. It's quiet, has instant torque and fewer moving parts.
Even the petrol generator makes sense. Rather than pretending battery range doesn't matter, the bike has a way around it. And that's got me thinking about the rest of the electric motorcycle world, especially agriculture. Vehicles can need to run all day, sometimes through the night when the cows get out. A generator could also provide power for tools or other equipment when you're nowhere near a socket.
Most riders don't need 2x2 drive, low-pressure tyres or a generator. But if electric motorcycles are going to carve out their own specialist roles, this is the sort of thinking we need to see.
Don't make electric motorcycles better petrol bikes. Make them do things petrol motorcycles can't.
Ride safe, folks.
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