Can Lightning’s electric motorcycle really charge as fast as a gas tank fill-up?
Touring, a type of riding that involves long distance trips, has long been the achilles heel of electric motorcycles. While e-motos have developed to the point where they can beat combustion engine motorcycles in nearly every other metric, quick recharging required for long distance riding has yet to reach parity with a gas station fill-up. At least, that was until Lightning Motorcycle debuted what it says is the fastest charging electric motorcycle yet.
Lightning Motorcycles, the Southern California-based boutique e-motorcycle manufacturer, claims that its new fast-charging electric motorcycle can recharge nearly as fast as a combustion engine motorcycle can refuel its tank.
Previously, the quickest DC fast-charging electric motorcycles like the models from Energica or Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire One boasted a recharge time of around 30 minutes for a nearly topped-up battery.
But Lightning claims it can blow those figures out of the water by using new fast-charging battery technology from Enevate. The company’s next-generation silicon-anode batteries claim a much faster recharge time, which Lightning says allows its electric motorcycles to get a nearly full battery recharge in as little as 10 minutes.
That’s still a bit longer than a gasoline fill-up, but since most touring riders generally use a fuel-stop as a chance to stretch their legs after a few hours on a cramped bike, a 10-minute refueling window is fairly reasonable in the touring world.
Lightning has been testing a prototype of the system by using its Lightning Strike motorcycle outfitted with a 24 kWh battery from Enevate.
Lightning Motorcycles CEO Richard Hatfield told New Atlas that the new battery doesn’t just charge faster, it also offers better range:
We’re getting 150 to 170 miles (241 to 274 km) of range at 70 miles an hour (113 km/h) along highway 5. And we’re charging from 0-80% in about 10 minutes, or at nearly a 5C rate, on a level 3 CCS charger. That’s probably the most common level 3 charger at this point, other than Tesla, and I know even Tesla is offering CCS options on some of its chargers.
Hatfield went on to describe the engineering challenges that the higher charging rate required:
So we’ve got 120 kW of electricity going in, for about 10 minutes straight. It’s almost impossible to duplicate that on the discharge side; it’s 300 amps and 400 volts for 10 minutes continuously, there’s just no place you could really do that on the throttle. So it made us re-think all the interconnects, the cabling and the charge connectors, even the contactors. And inside the fairings, we have to move air to cool the components to sustain that level of charging.
To demonstrate the fast-charging rate, Lightning released a video (below) where it pitted two other electric motorcycles against the prototype Lightning Strike with Enevate’s fast charging technology. While the two other bikes aren’t named, they are quite obviously a LiveWire One from Harley-Davidson and an SR/S from Zero Motorcycles.
The LiveWire One offers DC Fast Charging while the Zero SR/S is limited to slower Level 2 charging speeds.
The three bikes are shown charging at the same time, and Lightning set the finish line for the competition at 12 kWh of energy dumped into the batteries. The video shows that the Zero charges at 6 kW on AC power while the LiveWire shows a punchier 20 kW of DC charging power on the dash. The Lightning seems to be on a whole other level though as it is shown peaking at around 104 kW.
The Lightning obviously crosses the 12 kWh mark first, which occurs at around 11 minutes. The LiveWire manages to recharge 3.3 kWh in that time and the Zero only gets in 1.1 kWh.
While Lightning obviously took home the gold in the charging matchup, the charging rate still doesn’t seem to live up to Hatfield’s claim of charging from “0-80% in about 10 minutes.” Rather, the video shows the bike charging from 30-71% in 11 minutes.
Is that fast? Absolutely. Is that faster than any other electric motorcycle you can buy today? Definitely, but it still doesn’t seem to match the 10-minute fill-up claim. Rather, it seems to be around a 40-50% charge in 11 minutes.
If Lightning can actually bring a bike to market with those charging specs, though, that will still be a huge step forward for the industry.
Now we’ll just have to see if they can do it. The company still seems to be producing and delivering Lightning Strike motorcycles, but the last few times I spoke with Hatfield, he still wasn’t providing any figures on just how many bikes are being built. The production volume certainly seems quite low based on the dearth of Lightning bikes seen on social media or YouTube, especially compared to the many Zero or LiveWire owners constantly uploading videos and images of their own new e-motos.
So anecdotal evidence seems to point to low production numbers, but if the company can really offer a 50% recharge in 10 minutes, then perhaps those figures will be rising soon.
Do I need my e-motos to recharge that quickly? Probably not, most of the time. But do I want them to be able to? You can bet your riding pants I do!
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Massachusetts is launching a first-of-its-kind statewide vehicle-to-everything (V2X) pilot program. This two-year initiative, backed by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), aims to deploy 100 bidirectional chargers to homes, school buses, municipal, and commercial fleet participants across the state.
These bidirectional chargers will enable EVs to serve as mobile energy storage units, collectively providing an estimated 1.5 MW of new storage capacity. That means EVs won’t just be getting power – they’ll be giving it back to the grid, helping to balance demand and support renewable energy use. The program is also focused on ensuring that low-income and disadvantaged communities have access to this cutting-edge tech.
The Massachusetts pilot is one of the largest state-led V2X initiatives in the US and is designed to tackle key challenges in deploying bidirectional charging technology. By strategically placing these chargers in a variety of settings, the program aims to identify and resolve barriers to wider adoption of V2X technology.
Massachusetts EV owners and fleet operators enrolled in the program will get bidirectional chargers capable of both vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and backup power operations at no cost. Here’s what they stand to gain:
- No-cost charging infrastructure: Bidirectional charging stations and installation are fully covered for participants.
- Grid resilience: With an estimated 1.5 MW of new flexible and distributed storage assets, the program strengthens Massachusetts’ energy infrastructure.
- Clean energy integration: V2G technology allows EVs to charge when renewable energy is available and discharge stored energy when it’s not, supporting the state’s clean energy goals.
- Backup power: EV batteries can be used as backup power sources during outages.
- Revenue opportunities: Some participants can earn money by sending stored energy back to the grid.
Clean energy solutions firm Resource Innovations and vehicle-grid integration tech company The Mobility House are leading the program’s implementation. “With the charging infrastructure provided through this program, we’re eliminating financial barriers and enabling school districts, homeowners, and fleets to access reliable backup power,” said Kelly Helfrich of Resource Innovations. “We aim to create a scalable blueprint for V2X programs nationwide.”
“Bidirectional charging benefits vehicle owners by providing backup power and revenue opportunities while strengthening the grid for the entire community,” added Russell Vare of The Mobility House North America.
The program is open for enrollment now through June 2025. For more details, visit the MassCEC V2X Program webpage. A list of eligible bidirectional vehicles can be found on that page.
Read more: Cambridge’s new solar VPPA is the largest ever by any US city
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Compton, California, has unveiled 25 new electric school buses – the school district’s first – and 25 Tellus 180 kW DC fast chargers.
Compton Unified School District (CUSD) in southern Los Angeles County is putting 17 Thomas Built Type A and eight Thomas Built Type C electric school buses on the road this spring. In addition to working with Thomas Built, CUSD also collaborated with electrification-as-a-service provider Highland Electric Fleet, utility Southern California Edison, and school transportation provider Durham School Services.
Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean School Bus Program awarded funds for the vehicles in the program’s first round. EPA also awarded CUSD funds for the third round of the program and anticipates introducing an additional 25 EV school buses in the future.
“I can’t stress enough how vital grants like these are and the need for continued support from our partners in government at the state and federal level to fund additional grants for school districts and their transportation partners that are ready to deliver and operate zero-emission buses,” said Tim Wertner, CEO of Durham School Services.
CUSD, which serves Compton and parts of the cities of Carson and Los Angeles, currently serves more than 17,000 students at 36 sites. The district has a high school graduation rate of 93% and an 88% college acceptance rate. One in 11 children in Los Angeles County have asthma, which makes the need for emissions-free school transportation that much more pressing.
Read more: Thomas Built Buses debuts its next-gen electric school bus
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After cutting lease prices by $200 this month, the Rivian R1S is now surprisingly affordable. It may even be a better deal than the new Tesla Model Y.
Rivian cuts R1S lease prices by $200 per month
Rivian’s R1S is one of the hottest electric SUVs on the market. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you’re missing out.
With some of the best deals to date, now may be the time. Rivian lowered R1S lease prices earlier this month to just $599 for 36 months, with $8,493 due at signing (30,000 miles). The offer is for the new 2025 R1S Adventure Dual Standard, which starts at $75,900.
Before the price cut, the R1S was listed at $799 per month, with $8,694 due at signing. The electric SUV now has the same lease price as the R1T, despite costing $6,000 more.
The 2025 R1T Dual Motor starts at $69,900, essentially making it a free $6,000 upgrade. At that price, you may even want to consider it over the new Tesla Model Y.
Tesla’s new Model Y Launch Series arrived with lease prices of $699 for 36 months. With $4,393 due at signing, the effective rate is $821 per month, or just $13 less than the R1S at $834. However, the 2025 R1S costs nearly $15,000 more, with the Model Y Launch Series price at $59,990.
Rivian is also offering an “All-Electric Upgrade Offer” of up to $6,000 for those looking to trade-in their gas-powered car, but base models are not included.
| Starting Price | Range (EPA-est.) |
|
| 2025 Rivian R1S Dual Standard | $75,900 | 270 miles |
| 2026 Tesla Model Y Launch Series | $59,990 | 327 miles |
To take advantage of the Rivian R1S lease deal, you must order it before March 15 and take delivery on or before March 31, 2025.
The 2025 Rivian R1S Dual Standard Motor has an EPA-estimated range of up to 270 miles. Tesla’s new Model Y Launch Series gets up to 327 miles.
Which electric SUV would you choose? Rivian’s R1S or the new Tesla Model Y? If you’re ready to check them out for yourself, you can use our links below to find deals on the Rivian R1S and Tesla Model Y in your area.
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