As electric vehicles are gaining popularity and becoming more mainstream, many are opting to own one thanks to its numerous benefits. Electric vehicles like cars, motorcycles, scooters, and buses are not only environmentally friendly but are also cheaper in the long run. The electricity cost to power them is generally low, especially in Malaysia, and they are cheaper to maintain since they don’t have a combustion engine with hundreds of moving parts. Not only that, but you also get to enjoy a quieter, more enjoyable driving experience.
With two-wheelers being a popular mode of transportation in Malaysia, we’re also seeing more electric scooters and motorcycles on our roads. Here are the advantages of owning an electric motorcycle or e-motorcycle in Malaysia, and the top two-wheeled EVs available to us now.
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E-Scooters: Making Commuting Easy
As Malaysia moves toward greater mobility for all, different transportation modes are cropping up, offering commuters more options to help get them to where they need to be. One of them is the electric scooter (e-scooter), often available via scooter-sharing apps such as Beam.
You will be able to find these e-scooters all around town, especially near public train and bus stations around commercial areas, and even famous tourist spots. Increasingly, someone on a scooter will cruise past you on the pavement. To access one of these scooters, all you need to do is download the app, find the designated parking spots for these scooters, and scan the QR code on it to unlock and ride it.
Electric scooters or e-scooters are mainly used for commuting, especially in Klang Valley. They connect people from one station to another, from home to your workplace, and also help tourists who wish to see everything Kuala Lumpur has to offer. As traffic can be terrible during rush hours and weekends in Kuala Lumpur, these scooters are the faster, better alternative to motorcycle taxis, taxis, and cars.
Note: e-scooters are not allowed to be used on public roads as it is dangerous and could cause accidents. Violators caught riding one on public roads or highways can be fined RM300 for the first offense and RM1,000 or three months jail for subsequent offenses. If you have to use an e-scooter on public roads, you will need to apply for a special license from JPJ. You are still allowed to ride in gazetted areas such as playgrounds and permitted areas around shopping centers.
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Why Electric Motorcycles are Better than Conventional Ones
Instant Torque & Power
While gas-powered engines take longer to power up and reach peak torque, requiring the engine to be spinning at high rpm (revolutions per minute), electric motors can output their peak power and torque instantly from 0 rpm and maintain consistent power and torque through the entire rpm range too. In the real world, that means electric motorcycles have better acceleration which is useful when overtaking and climbing a hill, especially in heavy traffic.
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Provides More Comfort
Compared to conventional ones, electric motorcycles don’t vibrate or shake while riding or when you are stopped at a red light. Yes, there are many gas engines that provide additional counter-balances that reduce vibrations, but that adds complexity and cost without totally eliminating the vibration. You also don’t have to worry about accidentally burning yourself on the hot exhaust header.
Tuning & Updates
One of the best parts about owning an electric motorcycle is it’s easier to customize its performance to suit your needs. Some bikes have an inbuilt performance profile customizer where you can adjust the power and behavior of the motor. Then there are also electric motorcycles that can be tuned by plugging them into a laptop. Compared to petrol-powered motorcycles, there are no carburetors to mess with, and no engine timing or injector profiles to adjust.
Most electric motorcycles also receive regular over-the-air (OTA) updates bringing new features, improved rideability, safety, and other goodies, similar to how you’d update your smartphone. That way, your bike can stay relevant for longer and continuously improve itself.
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Convenient to Run & Maintain
With an electric motorcycle, you don’t have to worry about running out of fuel. You can easily use your own charging station in your house or garage to charge your bike’s batteries. And since electric motorcycle batteries are much smaller than those in electric cars, they take a shorter time to charge, often three to five hours depending on the battery capacity.
Some electric motorcycles in Malaysia, like the Blueshark R1 even have compact, removable batteries that you can swap with a fresh battery at a battery swapping station. Maintaining an electric motorcycle is generally easier and cheaper than a conventional one since there are fewer parts to maintain. And that can offset the higher price of electric motorcycles in Malaysia.
Electric Motorcycle Rebate 2024 & Road Tax Rate in Malaysia
There’s a boom of EVs in Malaysia including motorcycles, as evident with the increasing availability of electric motorcycles here. Other than the advantages of riding an EV motorcycle, the Malaysian government has provided tax incentives and free road tax for all EVs – motorcycles and cars included.
Announced in Budget 2024, the government will offer an electric motorcycle incentive scheme that allows the public to enjoy a rebate of up to RM2,400 when they buy an electric motorcycle. You can enjoy this rebate if you earn less than RM120,000 annually, or less than RM10,000 a month.
All electric motorcycles in Malaysia currently enjoy free road tax until the end of 2025. After that, their road tax will be charged according to their motor output in watts (W) as displayed below.
| Electric Motorcycle Motor Output* | Road Tax Rate |
| Up to 7,500 W | RM2 |
| 7,501 W – 10,000 W | RM9 |
| 10,001 W – 12,500 W | RM12 |
| 12,501 W – 25,000 W | RM30 |
| 25,001 W – 40,000 W | RM40 |
| Over 40,000 W | RM42 |
* 1,000 W equals to 1 kW or 1.36 PS.
Electric Motorcycles in Malaysia Right Now
Whether you call them electric motorcycles, e-motorcycles, or e-bikes, there’s no denying their appeal and advantages over petrol-powered ones. Here are some of the most exciting electric motorcycles currently available or coming soon to Malaysia.
1. Blueshark R1 & R1 Lite
The Blueshark R1 and R1 Lite are full-sized electric scooters that you can legally ride on the road with a standard B2 motorcycle license. They both have identical technical specifications such as below:
- Power: 5 kW
- Torque: 201 Nm
- Top speed: 80 km/h
- Battery capacity: Two removable batteries rated at 1.44 kWh each – 2.88 kWh in total
- Maximum range: 110 km
They have two battery slots that can house two removable batteries so you can easily charge them in your living room or swap them at Blueshark’s battery swapping station. The Blueshark R1 is equipped with a 10.4-inch full-color HD display, onboard video recorder, and the ArkRide proprietary operating system (OS) with Bluetooth connectivity, GPS, navigation, media playback, and OTA updates.
The R1 Lite, on the other hand, has a monochrome LCD display and omits the ArkRide OS and video recorder. The price of the Blueshark R1 in Malaysia starts from RM9,390 while the R1 Lite is priced from RM7,190.
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2. Sur-Ron Light Bee X
The Sur-Ron Light Bee is a lightweight electric dirt bike that’s been available in Malaysia for several years and has been making waves among dirt bike enthusiasts. Here are the specifications of the Light Bee X:
- Weight: 56 kg
- Power: 6 kW
- Torque: 250 Nm
- Top speed: 75 km/h
- Battery capacity: 2.28 kWh
- Maximum range: 100 km
Combine those figures with a ground clearance of 270 mm and climbing angle of over 45 degrees gives you a powerful, agile little bike that’s capable of lots of fun when you hit your favorite dirt road or motocross track.
It’s also practical and can be charged in three hours with fast charging. This bike is priced at around RM19,500, which is a good deal if you want a fun dirt bike that’s easy to maintain.
3. BMW CE 04
BMW is no stranger to the electric motorcycle scene. It first introduced the C evolution scooter to the world in 2016, and launched its latest e-scooter in Malaysia just in May 2023 – the BMW CE 04. Here are its figures:
- Power: 32 kW at 4,900 rpm
- Torque: 62 Nm at 1,500 rpm
- Top speed: 120 km//h
- Battery capacity: 8.9 kWh
- Maximum range: 130 km
Being a BMW, this scooter is well equipped in the tech department with a 10.25-inch color display that can be connected to the BMW Motorrad Connected App providing features like GPS navigation with turn-by-turn navigation, and vehicle statistics and status. It also charges fairly quickly with a regular 2.3 kW charger – in just four hours and 20 minutes. The BMW CE 04 is priced at RM59,500.
4. Ebixon TailG
The Ebixon TailG Bold
Locally assembled by Ni Hsin EV Tech (NHEV) since early 2023, the Ebixon TailG are a duo of electric scooters. Both TailG scooters have a more basic LCD instrument display compared to other bikes on this list along with a USB charging port to keep your phone charged on the road.
Out of the duo, the TailG Bold is the entry-level scooter suited for city commuting. It’s priced at RM9,000. Here are its technical figures:
- Power: 1.5 kW
- Torque: 35 Nm
- Top speed: 65 km/h
- Battery capacity: Two removable batteries rated at 1.58 kWh each – 3.16 kWh in total
- Maximum range: 120 km
The Ebixon TailG Torq
The TailG Torq is the bigger, more powerful variant of the lineup with bigger batteries and a more powerful motor enabling it to hold its own on the highway. The price of the TailG Torq starts at RM14,999.
- Power: 5 kW
- Torque: 74 Nm
- Top speed: 90 km/h
- Battery capacity: Two removable batteries rated at 3.6 kWh – 7.2 kWh in total
- Maximum range: 200 km
What do you think about the electric motorcycles available in Malaysia right now? Do you think it’s a good time to invest in one, or do you think that the current price and performance are still not as competitive as regular motorcycles? Let us know what you think.
For other car-related topics, guides, and information, check out our other articles on the CARSOME blog.
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This content was originally published on 29/1/2021. It has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.
