I’m sorry, but a 12mph average isn’t good enough when lauding range.
I want to clarify, I believe
electric motorcycles are cool
. They’re
hysterically powered
They remain quiet, ensuring my neighbors don’t dial the police.
complain to the HOA
And for the most part, the designs have been quite impressive.
However, for now, they serve their purpose. Their role is to ride through dirt.
This is due to the fact that present electric motorcycles suffer from extremely poor range. To put it mildly, many of them struggle when faced with distances over 70 miles, requiring an additional charging period of about 8 hours after they run out of power. This challenge remains even under optimal conditions.
best of conditions.
Either a powerful headwind or indulging in a Big Mac will decrease that range even more.
And that might come as a surprise to some readers, especially given the big news that
Verge’s TS Pro
An electric bicycle has recently claimed a spot in the Guinness World Records for setting a new benchmark in the electric motorcycle category with an impressive range of 193 miles on a single charge! Hear that, everyone? It managed to travel 193 miles without needing a recharge—almost comparable to many gasoline-powered motorcycles!
The main problem is that it definitely does not offer a range of 193 miles. In reality, it falls short by quite a margin. Allow me to clarify how these figures seem to be exaggerated.
Before we dive into the details, let’s address what The Verge mentions initially. The company claims that the Verge TS Pro comes with a 20.2-kilowatt-hour battery, which they say can provide up to 217 miles in urban areas and 124 miles on highways.
However, there are several important caveats regarding these figures. The fine print states that the 217-mile figure represents “a calculated estimate for smooth, stop-and-go city driving under urban conditions at low speeds” according to Verge’s methodology. Meanwhile, the highway range is described as “an estimated value reflecting continuous and constant highway travel at a speed of 56 mph,” also based on Verge’s calculations.
Verge points out that the EU combined range totals just 119 miles per charge, noting that “this standardized EU measure includes both urban and motorway driving conducted on a chassis dynamometer using fairly brisk acceleration and braking patterns. The load applied by the dynamometer depends solely on the car’s weight, without factoring in its aerodynamic properties.”
Therefore, The Verge indicates that according to
best-case
In the scenario where we do not factor in rider weight, wind resistance, or test it on a low-resistance dynamometer, the TS Pro manages approximately 119 miles per charge. So, how was that 193-mile record achieved? Simple—they cruised at an extremely leisurely pace and circled around London.
As reported by our sister publication
InsideEVs
, Verge achieved this milestone by maintaining only a speed of 12 mph during its 193-mile journey around London. Personally, I feel somewhat frustrated with the company for doing this because it might mislead people about the true capabilities of these vehicles.
I understand the allure of electric bicycles, truly I do. However, making claims like completing 193 miles on one charge undermines efforts to present an accurate picture for both the public and your organization. It exacerbates the challenge people face in distinguishing fact from exaggeration, which is extremely bothersome. Moreover, I consider the Verge bicycle to be quite impressive, and the company itself has innovative concepts. Such exaggerated statements certainly aren’t helpful to anyone involved.
