Electric motorcycles are being used by VIPs and in all-electric motorcades to escort delegates from the international community attending the annual G20 Summit.
The G20 is a global forum that includes 19 countries and the European Union, together representing the world’s 20 largest economies.
The main goals of the G20 Summit are to address issues with the global economy, including financial stability, climate change, and overall sustainability.
This year the G20 Summit is being held in Bali, Indonesia, where President Joko Widodo called for 100% of the government’s transportation used during the event to be electric vehicles.
In addition to electric cars, several high profile electric two-wheeler companies have been called on to supply electric motorcycles and mopeds for use at the Summit. Companies including Zero Motorcycles, Energica, Gogoro and NIU have all provided fleets for official use.
Indonesian Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi (center) on a Gogoro electric scooter
A representative from Taiwanese battery swapping giant and electric scooter manufacturer Gogoro explained to Electrek that the company jointly deployed 30 Gogoro SmartScooters and a GoStation battery swap center along with Indonesian Partner Electrum.
The scooters each use a pair of Gogoro’s famous green and black swappable batteries, allowing officials to ride the scooters until the batteries are nearly empty, then swap in freshly charged batteries in seconds.
That allows the scooters to stay on the road continuously instead of needing to stop for a multi-hour charge.
The move was likely facilitated by Gogoro’s presence in the country via a Jakarta pilot with Gojek, with electrum being created as a Gojek joint venture.
Electric scooters are growing in popularity in Indonesia, a country that has wholly embraced the benefits of two-wheeled vehicles over larger four-wheeled cars and trucks.
In fact, Indonesia has set a goal of putting 2 million electric motorcycles and scooters on the country’s roads by 2025.
They are now 300 e-scooters closer thanks to NIU’s electric scooters are also being used by officials at the event. The company provided 300 GOVA series electric scooters to the Indonesian National Police for use at the summit.
NIU electric scooters ready for the G20 Summit
Ahead of the event, California-based Zero Motorcycles announced that it has provided a fleet of nearly 300 electric motorcycles to the Indonesian National Police and National Armed Forces.
According to CEO Harun Sjech of PT, Elektrick Motoriz Global, the Indonesian Zero importer:
Meeting the ambitious zero-emissions goals set by President Joko Widodo was made possible thanks to the excellent partnership with both Zero motorcycles and the Indonesian Government, both organizations that are highly motivated to be leaders in transitioning away from fossil fuels. We are extremely proud to have delivered all of these motorcycles and we look forward to building on our relationships with both Zero and the Indonesian government.
The fleet of nearly 300 motorcycles provided by Zero is mostly comprised of the Zero DSRP (Police) model, which is available exclusively to global fleet operators and authority forces.
Zero’s large delivery also includes SR/S and SR/F models that had been modified for tactical use by the Indonesian security apparatus.
As CEO of Zero Motorcycles Sam Paschel added:
We applaud President Widodo and the entire Indonesian Government for their clear vision, admirable climate leadership goals, and for the speed with which they sought to equip and train their staff for the G20 Summit. The G20 is an extremely important platform and being able to deliver a large fleet of reliable electric motorcycles for the event is a credit to our amazing team, and a benefit for the entire world.
Italian electric motorcycle manufacturer Energica also announced recently that it received an order of 88 Energica EsseEsse9+ electric motorcycles from the Indonesian National Police ahead of the G20 Summit.
Energica CEO Livia Cevolini underscored the importance of electric motorcycles leading the charge, saying:
When G20 delegates arrive in Bali, they will be welcomed and escorted by a security detail riding Energica bikes. That means their first experience will be seeing zero-emission, high-performance vehicles in action. My hope is that this experience sticks with each delegate throughout the summit and in all discussions around climate change and transportation.
Even conventional, low-power electric bicycles have proven popular with an increasing number of police departments looking to supplement their patrol cars with lighter electric two-wheelers that can penetrate deeper into city alleyways, community parks, and other areas normally off limits to larger police vehicles.
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The UAW union’s Stellantis Council met yesterday to discuss the beleaguered carmaker’s “ongoing failure” to honor the agreement that ended the 2023 labor strike, and their latest union memo doesn’t pull many punches.
In an email sent out by the UAW earlier today (received at 4:55PM CST), UAW President Shawn Fain wrote, “For years, the company picked us off plant-by-plant and we lacked the will and the means to fight back. Today is different. Because we stood together and demanded the right to strike over job security—product commitment—we have the tools to fight back and win … We unanimously recommend to the membership that every UAW worker at Stellantis prepare for a fight, and we all get ready to vote YES to authorize a strike at Stellantis.”
Kia promises the new EV9 GT will have “enormous power,” but that’s not all. For the first time, the Kia EV9 GT was caught with an active spoiler, giving us a sneak peek at potential new upgrades.
The brand’s first three-row electric SUV is already making its presence known in the US, helping push Kia to back-to-back record sales months. Meanwhile, a more powerful, sporty variant is on the way.
Kia confirmed the EV9 GT will top off the electric SUV’s lineup in April. Packing “enormous power,” the high-performance GT model can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph (0 to 100 km/h) in 4 secs.
With a “high-output” dual-motor (AWD) system, the EV9 GT can quickly pick up speed despite weighing over 5,000 lbs.
Kia also equipped it with other high-performance features, such as a reinforced suspension and electronic braking system, for better control and stability.
We’ve already caught a glimpse of the performance electric SUV out testing, revealing aggressive new bumpers and wheels. Now, a new design feature has been spotted.
2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line (Source: Kia)
Kia EV9 GT could come with an active rear spoiler
The latest video from HealerTV shows the EV9 GT with what appears to be an active spoiler. As the reporter noted, it could be similar to the one spotted on the Genesis GV70 Magma.
Kia EV9 GT caught with an active rear spoiler
Tesla’s Model X also used to come with an active spoiler until it was dropped a few years back. Although the GT model was spotted with one, Kia could just be testing new features, so don’t get too excited yet.
Earlier this week, a video from HealerTV showed the front row of the EV9 GT, comparing it to the current GT-Line model.
Kia EV9 GT-Line interior (Source: Kia)
Several differences can be immediately noticed, including a more aggressive, all-black design with a yellow stripe down the center of the seat.
Kia is set to launch the EV9 GT in early 2025. It will rival other performance SUVs like the Tesla Model X Plaid.
Although prices have yet to be confirmed, the GT model is expected to sit above the current GT-Line at $73,900. In comparison, Tesla’s Model X Plaid starts at $94,990 and can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 2.5 secs.
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Consumer Reports and EV charging app Chargeway are working together to give drivers a better way to rate public chargers, report uptime, and address maintenance issues.
The technical collaboration with Chargeway is part of a larger effort called the EV Charging Community, which engages with a number of different EV advocacy groups including Plug In America, GreenLatinos, and Generation 180, and leverages the mobile app to rate public EV charging experiences based on various factors, with the findings reported back to industry stakeholders like EVSE manufacturers, CPOs, and utilities.
Be heard
“We are very excited to be partnering with Consumer Reports,” says Chargeway founder, Matt Teske. “From day one, Chargeway has focused on a driver first app design to provide easier EV charging experiences as well as transparency for what drivers can anticipate at (the) station they choose … we share Consumer Reports’ goal to give drivers a voice in the public EV charging reliability conversation. Now, instead of posting complaints on social media and feeling ignored, EV drivers can use the Chargeway mobile app to provide their feedback to the leading consumer advocacy organization.”
Consumer Reports says it’s already seen nearly a third of its 1,600 enrolled community members experience a problem with public charging, so it’s a real problem. “Charging stations are critical services, but when they’re out of order or barely functional, it wastes consumers’ valuable time,” explains Drew Toher, Consumer Reports’ sustainability campaign manager.
Consumer Reports points out that EV drivers who don’t use Chargeway can also enroll to be part of the community at this link.
Electrek’s Take
Chargeway founder Matt Teske is an old friend. He’s a good friend, too, so it’s great to see his top-shelf EV charging app starting to get some of the recognition it deserves. The CR tie-up and added visibility these ratings will give to industry stakeholders are only going to make things better for EV drivers everywhere.
That up there? That’s one of my early interview episodes of Quick Charge featuring a walkthrough of Chargeway+, another collab between Matt and Austin Energy. Enjoy!
SOURCE | IMAGES: Chargeway, Consumer Reports.
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