The BMF Council formally approved the following policy on decarbonisation at the Council meeting on 9th April.

⦁ The BMF is opposed to any proposals to ban the use of motorcycles powered by internal combustion engines (ICE) while such vehicles are still capable of being run.

⦁ The BMF is opposed to a ban on the sale of new ICE-powered motorcycles while there is the possibility of providing alternatives to fossil fuel and while the electric vehicle charging infrastructure does not adequately support electric motorcycles.

⦁ The BMF supports a technology-neutral approach to powering new motorcycles; we do not accept that electric battery technology is the only approach.

Director Anna Zee said “The use of motorcycles, however powered, rather than cars can make a valuable contribution to reducing carbon and particle emissions and congestion of course. Electric motorcycles are proving particularly popular in the commuter market for small bikes and we expect an expansion in electric offerings in larger bikes. However we do not want to see resources wasted unnecessarily by building new when we don’t need to, and traditionally, in this country, we like to see our history on the road.”

Chair Jim Freeman said ‘The BMF Council has again proved to be a forward thinking forum for discussing policy. The subject of decarb, especially alternative power sources, along with Transport as a Service, CITS and the integration of motorcycles into an potentially autonomous world, were first on the Council’s agenda years ago.We all need to hold on tight, the changes in technology that involve motorcycling, and the challenges that it will bring, aren’t going to back off. The industry are already rising to the challenge, we , the riders, need to keep up. Can we envisage travelling across the continent using interchangeable, swappable battery packs, for example? 10 years is a long time, these days, in tech terms.’

Written by Anna Zee – Political & Technical Services Director

Top image courtesy of FEMA