UK to Ban Sales of New Petrol Fuelled Motorcycles from 2040

Fawlty

Fawlty

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'The sale of new petrol-fuelled motorcycles is set to be banned from 2040, under plans due to be announced by ministers as part of the Government’s net zero crackdown.

The move would affect all vehicles classed as “L3” and upwards, including scooters and light, medium and higher-powered motorcycles. There are around 1.3m motorcycles registered in the UK.
It is expected to be revealed soon, according to industry sources, although it is not clear whether Downing Street has signed off on the policy yet.

The change would also be accompanied by a plan to ban sales of new petrol-fuelled mopeds earlier, from 2030.'

It will be interesting to see whether this will actually be signed off. Let's hope not. The World has gone mad!
 
Fawlty said:
'The sale of new petrol-fuelled motorcycles is set to be banned from 2040, under plans due to be announced by ministers as part of the Government’s net zero crackdown.
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It will be more interesting to see what happens to all the existing bikes on the road on Dec. 31, 2039. Presumably, their value will skyrocket (@Uncle Phil, are you listening?) until the market crashes.
 
For actual mopeds or moped class scooters (under 50cc but without the pedals of a true moped) that does make some sense. The vast majority of moped class scooters are not used for very long miles and electric bicycle and scooter replacements will fill in just fine for those lower miles and around town trips.

As to the bigger bikes... I likely won't be riding much by then aside from the fact that I don't live in the UK. I'd feel lucky to be riding anything with 2 or 3 wheels for another 10 years and any time beyond that would just be a bonus.

Agree that better power sources really do need to be developed.
 
Williamson said:
If they can't sell 'em, perhaps there'll be some giveaways.
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Keep shoveling; there's got to be a pony in the pile of dung somewhere... ;)

Elsewhere: Ford’s EV unit said losses soared to $1.3 billion in the first quarter, meaning it lost $132,000 on each of the 10,000 vehicles it sold. Overall EV sales in the US in Q1 rose 2.6% year over year, but fell 15.2% compared to Q4 ‘23, according to Cox Automotive.

Tom
 
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TPadden said:
Keep shoveling; there's got to be a pony in the pile of dung somewhere... ;)

Elsewhere: Ford’s EV unit said losses soared to $1.3 billion in the first quarter, meaning it lost $132,000 on each of the 10,000 vehicles it sold. Overall EV sales in the US in Q1 rose 2.6% year over year, but fell 15.2% compared to Q4 ‘23, according to Cox Automotive.

Tom
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The description of Ford's EV unit having losses is a strange one. Yes, they're not profiting as a division, but that's because they've just invested $5.8 billion in building a battery factory that isn't yet operational. That would be like saying I lost $200,000 in Q1 of 2022 because I bought a house. Technically true, but it means I have a house now.

Production cost for the Mach-E has been shared with shareholders; they briefly popped up $25,000 a unit because of a battery shortage, but they've been profitable against material cost and the strategy Ford has previously used has been to increase production on premium models to increase margin. The F150 Lightning is in a similar boat; they don't lose against materials.

The stark reality is this: you can't go onto a lot and buy any of the entry-priced EVs because the demand for them is ridiculous. Same goes for hybrids, really. Consumers are gobbling them up, so automakers will continue to pump them out and take on debt to increase capacity.

By 2040 the UK will have phased out gasoline motorcycles. Used ones will still exist, and they'll probably get to the point that the Charger and Challenger have stateside; perfectly refined as they head out the door. In their wake will be electric bikes that are going to be fantastic.

Look at today. There aren't many electric bikes, but those that exist are starting to get great. The Zero SR/S goes 200 miles on a 20-minute charge. The Evoke 6061 goes 400 miles on 30 minutes plugged in. Five years ago the market was struggling to make 100 miles on an hour of charge. Cast out five, ten, fifteen years, and it's wild to think that there won't be bikes that can "top off" just as easily as gas ones. And when you consider all the larger that Britain is, the use case for something that has that much range is probably not ubiquitous anyway.

2040 is still a long way off. Start putting in plans in about 2032-2035 with what the atmosphere feels like, but it's not going to be as big of a change then as it feels like it would be today.
 
I am with Sadlor and especially tpasco 1995, get off the stick. I Don't want to start me on soap box, but they are improving. watch out for Chinas EV. I remember when seat belts were bad, when air bags were bad, anti-lock brakes were bad, car seats were bad, carbs were bad, fuel injection was bad, crush zones were bad, helmets are still bad ( for some ), smoking was good, Catalyticn converters was bad. Hell I saw a advertisement for you best asbestos shingles in Mechanics Illustrated.
We will be OK, I am riding a twenty year old bike that shows no sign of wearing out, which translate to a 2039 bike running into the 2060s. We will be OK
 
tpasco1995 said:
The description of Ford's EV unit having losses is a strange one.
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You are right, but it is all about accounting. I'm still trying to figure out how a tech company can lose hundreds of millions of dollars a year for 5 or 10 years, but if I were to get fired and not have an income, I'd be out on the street. Let's not start an accounting thread here.

Back to ebikes. I've been seeing quite a few kids riding electric bikes - with fat tires roughly the size you see on a 150cc motorcycle around town. In fact, very few of the kids are pedaling. The guys who are tend to be much older - 30's and up riding expensive road bikes on century days. Yes they are charging these things at home, but I'd wager that in a few years the auto charging stations will have a plug for bikes.
 
Sorry, I got on the soapbox anyway, I won't be offended if my post gets moved off this thread. Hope I did not offend anyone.
 
motornut said:
Sorry, I got on the soapbox anyway, I won't be offended if my post gets moved off this thread. Hope I did not offend anyone.
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I can't see any reason for your post to be moved. I wasn't mean-spirited or political. This would be a boring place indeed if we could only discuss which color of ST is the fastest.
 
tpasco1995 said:
That would be like saying I lost $200,000 in Q1 of 2022 because I bought a house. Technically true, but it means I have a house now.
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Typical accounting rationale... it now means you most likely also have a $200,000 debt/ mortgage but the taxpayer will return some of the interest. :rofl1:

Any return you get from your "investment" will depend on the market... unless the government gets involved.

Tom
 
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Obo said:
I'll wait for the official government decree before I start having an opposition opinion..

This is just the lobbyist's version of clickbait & fear mongering at this point.
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Agreed ... unless you live in California, or anyplace else demanding world order through governmental control. ;)

Tom
 
Fawlty said:
'The sale of new petrol-fuelled motorcycles is set to be banned from 2040, under plans due to be announced by ministers as part of the Government’s net zero crackdown.

The move would affect all vehicles classed as “L3” and upwards, including scooters and light, medium and higher-powered motorcycles. There are around 1.3m motorcycles registered in the UK.
It is expected to be revealed soon, according to industry sources, although it is not clear whether Downing Street has signed off on the policy yet.

The change would also be accompanied by a plan to ban sales of new petrol-fuelled mopeds earlier, from 2030.'

It will be interesting to see whether this will actually be signed off. Let's hope not. The World has gone mad!
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Succumbed to evil.
 
Obo said:
This is just the lobbyist's version of clickbait & fear mongering at this point.
Click to expand...

Bingo. We're also talking about the UK putting deadlines on things. They extend every motion they ever intend to enact. Brexit, metric, general elections, and so on. The idea that it actually happens in 2040 is the most hilarious kind of optimistic.


motornut said:
We will be OK, I am riding a twenty year old bike that shows no sign of wearing out, which translate to a 2039 bike running into the 2060s. We will be OK
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Bingo. I'm 29 right now, which means I'll be 45 in 2040.

Let's say the lobbying arms of Harley, Indian, Triumph, Honda, and so on fail to prevent Congress from banning the sale of new gas bikes after 2040. I'll be 44, buy a Goldwing, and it'll run smooth well into my sixties, and that's only if the electric bikes in 2039 aren't already more enticing. If fifteen years of further development doesn't result in a better product, I'll eat my shoe.
 
And they reckon that will have an impact on net zero ? No bike, thats OK, we'll take the car. So explain again how this works.

ANyway - I don't think it has even reached parliament yet. Someone must be trying to introduce something else - this is to take the attention away .... (My 2p)
 
tpasco1995 said:
Bingo. I'm 29 right now, which means I'll be 45 in 2040... If fifteen years of further development doesn't result in a better product, I'll eat my shoe.
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Tic-Tac-Toe, what concerns me is I'd hate to be forced to eat my shoes, in my 90's, because I can no longer afford petrol, electricity, and food. :rofl1:

Tom
 
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