Range Anxiety Isn’t the Problem You Think It Is
- Buck City Biker
- Jan 16, 2023
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 29
It’s Sunday. You’re out riding. You glance down at the dash, and it's there. That orange warning light. You're low on fuel...again.
Doesn’t matter what you ride, we’ve all been here before. Fuel runs out. So does charge. It's no big deal. The problem is we treat it like one.
That’s where the dreaded 'range anxiety' comes in, and why it’s been such a sticking point for electric motorbikes and EVs in general.
It's nothing new. Back in the 90s and early 2000s plenty of bikes didn’t even have fuel gauges. You rode until it started to cough, then reached down and flicked the reserve. If you were half decent, you could do it without even stopping.
Swappable Batteries
So how do you actually deal with it? One idea getting a lot of attention is swappable batteries.
It gets confusing because plenty of bikes already have removable batteries, but that’s not the same thing.
Problem is, you’re the one carrying the spare, and it’s not light. And unlike fuel, they don’t get lighter when they’re empty. What people often mean is standardised batteries. Like we currently see with smaller device batteries. That's the idea.
With standardisation, batteries can be stored on location at service stations, and swapped-out when needed. Battery ownership disappears, you just swap and go. This kind of technology shouts 2-wheels, because swapping a 72v 100ah battery from an e-scooter or e-motorcycle can be done by hand (just about). Try doing that with a car, different story.
Sounds like a long way off—but it isn’t. In China, a nation at the forefront of EV technology, they already have this system in place. It's currently brand-specific but if you have a NIO electric car, you don't ever need to recharge again! Instead you just pull into the NIO swap-station, and a machine drops your used battery out and swaps in a fully charged one. It takes about 4 minutes.
You get 4 to 6 swaps a month, roughly 700 to 2000 miles on paper. China also have thousands of e-moto charging stations that riders make use of every minute of every day.
But for battery swapping in its purest form, you need to head to Africa. You purchase the bike, not the battery, then you buy kW of electricity from your supplier in the form of swappable batteryies. You can't charge at home, that would ruin the corporate business model. As a rider, you're now tied in to the system and you can only charge your bike (swap your battery) at approved swap stations.
For this to work in the UK, it needs serious investment. It's more likely other sectors gets there first, possibly making the battery-swap a more specialist offering for the likes of the semi's and larger vans.
Rapid Charge
You can always solve range by throwing in a bigger battery, but that’s not really the point.
It's even harder with 2 wheeled EVs because size and weight play a much bigger part. And no one wants to haul an extra engine through a wet corner. This leads me to the next question: how much range do you actually use?
Most riders already stop before the bike needs to, and that’s the bit everyone overlooks.
A traditional ICE bike, lets say the CBR 900RR 1989, (yeah I'm old), could do 90 - 115 miles on a tank. But on a typical Sunday ride, I’m stopping after 30–50 miles anyway. Gloves off, helmet off, legs stretched, it's coffee time. Before you know it, 15–20 minutes has gone by.
This is where range anxiety starts to fall apart and where things actually start to make sense for riders. Not because range suddenly improves, but because the way we actually ride already fits the solution. The real question becomes where you charge, and how long it takes. And that’s where rapid charging comes in.
Charging Time, Not Range
Rapid charging on e-motorbikes is already here, and it’s not new either. Bikes like the Lightning LS-218 were hitting around 80% charge in under 30 minutes years ago.
This means you can use fast chargers at supermarkets, service stations, or truck stops, and plug in at home for a cheaper (but slower) overnight charge.
This technology is moving very fast and rapid charging is looking to become standard on new electric 2 wheeled EV's in the next 3 years! If it does, then it will solve one of the last remaining discrepancies in the petrol Vs electrons debate. It could also get the big ice brands investing more in e-motorcycles, which, let’s be honest, is where all the torque is.
So, range anxiety. Still there. Just not the problem people think it is.
Ride safe, folks.
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