The earliest records of Electric Motorcycles are found in patent documents from the late 1800's. Even at the earliest beginnings of the Electric Age, inventors were trying to come up with ways to harness electric power for individual transportation systems.
A electric motorcycle was available for sale to the public, according to an early Popular Mechanics article, around 1911. The headline read, “Simplicity, Ease of starting and Noiselessness in Operation are the Features of This Electric Motorcycle”. Sounds good to me!
A look at the article is informative. Although it looked like the typical motorcycle of it's time, it was rather advanced.The motor was located under the seat, transmitting power to the rear wheel via chain and sprokets. Instead of a transmission, it used a 3 speed controller, which gave speeds of 4, 15, and 35 miles per hour. The battery pack was a 6 cell, 12 volt model which
used any of the standard types of batteries of the day. A claim of 75 to 100 miles for a charge seems somewhat outrageous though. With a 51 inch wheel base and a weight of around 200lbs., it was competive with the gas powered models of it's day. No further mention of them, but I bet Jay Leno has one, or is looking for one for his collection.
From 1920 to 1924, a British company, Ransomes Products, a company that now produces electric forklifts, produced an Electric Motorcycle. This work, led the company into the developement of various electric powered vehicles for industrial use such as electric mining cars, lorreys, and forklifts. It looked like a sidecar rig, and was sold to the public. No more information available, only a picture.
No futher mention of electric motorcycles are found until World War II. The cause, "Fuel Rationing". Hmmm................seems like we're completing a circle here, doesn't it. As Yogi Berra said, "It's like Deja Vu, all over again !"
Seems that due to fuel rationing in Occupied Europe , an Belgian company, Socovel, developed a small electric motorcycle. Approximately 400 were manufactured. The Limelette brothers decided to get around gas rationing by building an electric motorcycle at the Socovel factory. The first prototype ran in January 1941. Three 6V 45AH batteries carried in a roomy central
trunk gave the Socovel a range of around 30 miles at a speed of 15 to 20 mph. The motor was rated at 1HP, with a total machine weight of 165 lbs. Recharging time was around 10 hours.
Must have been a pretty good machine. Seems the Germans wanted to use them for ferrying vehicles on their airfields, but Socovel's reluctance to supply the army of occupation was so strong that the order was never fulfilled. Hey, those Germans know good engineering when they see it.
Another Electric Motorcycle was born around the same time, for the same reasons. This one was located in the United States however. Seems that a Mr. M. Williams, motivated by a lack of readily available gasoline, developed his first electric vehicle; a two-wheeled electric motorcycle which pulled a single-wheeled trailer. It was used by his wife Peggy for trips to and from the market, Merle’s innovation soon grew in popularity and he began producing vehicles in his garage for sale to neighboring residents in Long Beach, California. This effort grew into the Legend Electric Vehicle company.Another company that built itself upon it's expertise gained from manufacturing electric motorcycles. Deja Vu all over again, as the Legend company is known for it's aircraft tow motors. Exactly what the Germans wanted the Socovel's for.
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