EV bike

[JulesMaximus]

I think they're the future of personal transportation, but not yet. Battery tech still has another hurdle or two to cross. These bikes are too heavy and too expensive to make any sense. We're at a weird point in time where silly-complex internal combustion engines with their hundreds of intricate parts are completely outclassed by simple, elegant, inexpensive (in terms of raw materials) electric motors. But the battery bank can't compete with the gas tank just yet.

Motorcycles will never be the future of personal transportation in this country. I tend to agree with you on electric vehicles in general though.

 

[tweakmonkey]

How about something like these:
http://litmotors.com/c1/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jICGl9jmulc

Then you're small enough to lane split (legal here in CA) but you could theoretically build upon the safety of the shell, airbags, etc. With congestion on highways (like here in San Jose) getting worse year after year, it's inevitable that smart commuters will be getting narrower cars to go between the other cars, assuming they're safe enough.

 

[mindless1]

You can get a low mileage '14/'15 Ninja 300 for around $3k. Everyone has their own value threshold for full insurance coverage but $3k would put it under mine. You might want to compare the insurance rates on that EV vs other alternatives to find your true cost of ownership, because it's not going to be affected as much by fuel or maintenance for a mere 14mi commute. Then again, depending on age, driving history, and location, your rates might vary wildly for an EV.

 

[desura]

I've looked at zero motorcycles. If their price were half what it is I might consider.

Gasoline is still king for power/weight, and motorcycles are very size and weight constrained. Electric cars can get away with it because you have more leeway with a car body and ways to arrange stuff. For that matter, electric airplanes don't look like they're going to be beating fossil fuel airplanes anytime soon.