Although the first thing that comes to mind when hearing the phrase ‘electrics’ is cars, it appears that emission-free power technologies are also gaining popularity among manufacturers and users of two-wheelers. What will be the main success factor in this market?
There are many indications that electric power will be one of the leading drivers of the automotive industry in the near future. Although the technological shift is currently manifesting itself primarily in the four-wheeler segment, experts expect that the electrification trend will soon extend to single-track vehicles: mopeds, scooters, and motorbikes. They currently account for around 30% of the means of transport used in the world (in 2021, around 45 million were sold in Asia!). These transformations will therefore have a significant impact on the entire industry. According to estimates by strategic consultancy McKinsey, around 30% of two-wheelers will be electrified on a global scale by 2030. What will determine success in this growing market?
As you can read in the McKinsey study, to date, the electrification rate of two-wheelers has not exceeded 5%. The main barriers to the uptake of electric scooters and motorbikes included higher investment costs than conventional solutions, lower performance than internal combustion equivalents, or the lack of a developed infrastructure allowing batteries to be charged on the road. Thanks to the accelerating development of the electric car market, the barriers to the widespread use of electric single-track vehicles have become largely obsolete. Charging stations are on the increase, and the current energy density of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) batteries allows the vehicle to travel between 80 and 120 km on a single charge, says Łukasz Peter, Competence Centre Director at Endego. – At the same time, the price of the technology is falling. The total cost of ownership of an electric and internal combustion two-wheeler has equalised in many regions, he adds. According to experts, it is the minimisation of Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) that will be the key success factor for single-track EV (Electric Vehicle) manufacturers.
For most users, the key decision factor in the process of choosing and purchasing a vehicle is the total cost of ownership. In order to compete in the marketplace with petrol unicycles, it is therefore necessary to aim for a TCO comparable to that of internal combustion motorbikes. This requires adopting a design-to-value approach and designing to provide customers with an inexpensive, economical, and functional means of transport at the lowest possible cost. Optimising the design and production process in terms of total cost of ownership requires not only sound decisions in terms of the design of the vehicle itself but also in terms of supply chains or the choice of model for the provision of batteries for manufactured vehicles, among others. According to market analyses, self-production of batteries can reduce battery procurement costs by several percent, but is demanding in terms of investment, process organisation, and procurement of materials. The use of standardised batteries eliminates a large part of these problems, but is not cost-optimal for large-scale operations. The dilemmas are many. External design support can help solve some of them.
When deciding on the conceptual work and production preparation of single-track electric vehicles, it makes sense to use external engineering support. “As an experienced engineering team, we are able to support our customers from the initial conceptual phase of the project, through the development phase and the creation of the technical design, visualisation and 3D models to support the production phase. In this way, one team of Endego engineers is able to support the customer from the broader perspective of working on components, modules or entire systems for a given unicycle”, explains Łukasz Peter, Competence Centre Director at Endego.
Feel free to contact us to discuss Endego’s design support.
Special-purpose vehicles play an important role in many industrial sectors, from construction and agriculture to public transport. They are characterised by specific technical requirements which make the design of special-purpose vehicles a complex engineering challenge. As a leader in the field of industrial design, Endego offers comprehensive services in the development of special vehicles and their components, responding to the needs of customers from various sectors, private and public.
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