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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This week on Electrek’s Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This time, that includes a new ONYX RCR 80V electric moped, new lightweight e-bike motors, Aventon’s powerful update, California cops catching illegal e-bike riders with drones, a super lightweight new e-bike from Dahon, and more.
Today’s episode is sponsored by CYCROWN, an e-Bike company born from a passion for cycling. Its lineup now includes the new CYCROWN Dremax – a high-performance urban commuter e-bike now on sale in the US and Canada. Use Electrek50 to save $50 off your new eBike when you order.
The Wheel-E podcast returns every two weeks on Electrek’s YouTube channel, Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
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While much of the Western world is still figuring out how to get more people on electric bikes, China just flipped a switch, and the results are staggering. Thanks to a generous nationwide trade-in program rolled out around six months ago, China has seen an explosive surge in electric bicycle sales, with over 8.47 million new e-bikes hitting the road in the first half of 2025 alone.
The program, which offers subsidies to riders who trade in their old, often outdated electric bikes for newer, safer, and more efficient models, has sparked a new e-bike sale boom in a country already dominated by e-bike travel. In major provinces like Jiangsu, Hebei, and Zhejiang, over one million new e-bikes were sold in each region in just six months. That’s a tidal wave of e-bike sales.
The incentives vary depending on location and the model being traded in, but for many consumers, the subsidies cover a substantial portion of a new e-bike’s price – enough to turn a “maybe next year” purchase into a “right now” upgrade. And these aren’t just budget bikes either. The program has driven demand for higher-quality models with better batteries, safer braking systems, and more reliable electronics, accelerating both adoption and innovation across the industry.
The move has proven successful in replacing the millions of older models with lower-quality lithium-ion batteries that had posed safety risks around the country. Instead, China has pushed for higher-quality lithium-ion batteries, a return to a newer generation of higher-performance AGM batteries, and even interesting new sodium-ion battery options.
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Most e-bikes in China look more like what we’d consider seated scooters
According to China’s Ministry of Commerce, more than 8.4 million consumers have participated in the e-bike trade-in program so far, contributing to a sales increase of 643.5% year-over-year and more than doubling sales month-over-month. Meanwhile, production of new electric bicycles rose by nearly 28%, as manufacturers scrambled to meet demand. The sales boosts have already been seen in the financial reports of major industry players like NIU.
And it’s not just the big players benefiting – over 82,000 small independent e-bike dealers reported average sales increases of ¥302,000 (around US $42,000), giving a serious boost to local economies.
What’s particularly striking here is how fast this happened. The program was officially launched late last year as part of a broader effort to stimulate domestic consumption and phase out outdated vehicles and appliances. But while most analysts expected gradual growth, the e-bike sector responded much more quickly. In less than a year, the trade-in subsidies have reshaped the electric bicycle market, creating a consumer-driven boom that shows no signs of slowing.
For those of us watching from outside China, it’s hard not to wonder what might happen if other countries tried something similar. While most families in Chinese cities already own an electric bike and thus see this as an opportunity to trade it in for a newer model, Western countries like the US are still figuring out how to stimulate commuters into buying their first e-bike.
It’s too soon to know exactly how long the boom will last or whether the momentum will carry into 2026 and beyond. We’ve seen bicycle industry bubbles grow and burst before. But one thing’s clear: with the right incentives, even modest ones, it’s possible to ignite real, large-scale change. China just proved it with nearly 8.5 million new e-bikes to show for it.
And if you’re wondering what it looks like when a country takes electric micromobility seriously, this is it.
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Today was the official start of racing at the Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix 2025! There was a tremendous energy (and heat) on the ground at NCM Motorsports Park as nearly a dozen teams took to the track. Currently, as of writing, Stanford is ranked #1 in the SOV (Single-Occupant Vehicle) class with 68 registered laps. However, the fastest lap so far belongs to UC Berkeley, which clocked a 4:45 on the 3.15-mile track. That’s an average speed of just under 40 mph on nothing but solar energy. Not bad!
In the MOV (Multi-Occupant Vehicle) class, Polytechnique Montréal is narrowly ahead of Appalachian State by just 4 laps. At last year’s formula sun race, Polytechnique Montréal took first place overall in this class, and the team hopes to repeat that success. It’s still too early for prediction though, and anything can happen between now and the final day of racing on Saturday.
Congrats to the teams that made it on track today. We look forward to seeing even more out there tomorrow. In the meantime, here are some shots from today via the event’s wonderful photographer Cora Kennedy.
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![Day 1 of the Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix 2025 [Gallery]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/07/54629423281_6315c46dff_k.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
