The global electric car market grew by 40% in 2020 (over 2019) - albeit still from still very low annual volumes. In contrast though, and influenced of course by the pandemic, the global total internal combustion engine car market slumped by -16%.
Riding a Z650, six-time WorldSBK Champion Jonathan Rea has finally got around to gaining his motorcycle licence. The 34-year old Northern Irishman has passed his British Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) and motorcycle tests, both at the first attempt. A video record of Jonathan's training can be found on his YouTube page.
Swiss watchmaker Breitling and British motorcycle manufacturer Triumph have announced a long-term partnership - gearing up for a limited-edition watch and a customised motorcycle to be revealed in early 2022.
In addition to the investments into synthetic gasoline production technology announced by both Bosch and Audi three years ago, Porsche has now entered into a research agreement with Siemens, and BMW is investing in Californian start-up Prometheus Fuels - a company that plans to remove carbon-dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and convert it into pump gas; www.prometheusfuels.com
In addition to acknowledging that they will eventually adopt common-platform swappable batteries with rivals Honda, Kawasaki and Suzuki, Yamaha has stated that while it only expects 2.6% of bikes to be electric by 2030, it projects a rapid increase after that, reaching 20% by 2035 and 90% adoption by 2050, with low-carbon technologies like synthetic fuel accounting for much of the remaining combustion-engined market at that stage.
Confounding rumours to the contrary, Alex Lowes will remain "an integral part of the Kawasaki Racing Team" for the coming seasons, having agreed a new multi-year deal that will take him into his third year as an official Kawasaki WorldSBK rider.
PSB in the United States reports that Kawasaki has announced increased capital spending, employment growth at its Lincoln, Nebraska factory. Kawasaki has been manufacturing in Nebraska since 1974. Currently the facility covers approximately 2.4 million square feet and employs over 2,400; an estimated $200m in capital and tooling will be spent there in the next 18 months - much of it aimed at rail car projects.
North American snowmobile unit sales increased by +16% during the 2020-2021 selling season (ISMA/ISC data). There were 59,234 new units sold in the United States and 109,801 total North America unit sales - both figures were the highest reported since 61,593 units were said to have been sold in the United States in 2009. Worldwide sales were 133,44 units.
Damon Motors (Vancouver) has announced a strategic alliance with Auteco Mobility to "deliver the world's smartest, safest, connected electric motorcycles" to the Latin American market. The two companies plan to collaborate for sales and support of Damon-branded motorcycles. Additionally, Auteco plans to licence aspects of Damon's CoPilot safety technology for use in its own Victory branded motorcycles.
Sources: AMD, IDN, FT, Reuters, PSB, MPN, BDN, MCN, AP, Bloomberg, MSNW, Electrek, electricmotorcycles.news, RideApart.com, Motor1.com, Cycle World, motorbikewriter.com
