North America, prepare for more e-scooters

China has long been the primary driver of electric scooter and motorcycles sales. In 2012, the country accounted for 81 percent of the global e-scooter and e-motorcycle market.

That trend is shifting just a bit, according to a report from Navigant Research. Sales of e-motorcycles and e-scooters in North America will grow from a little more than 4,000 in 2012 to more than 36,000 in 2018, a nearly tenfold increase, the study says.

The market will continue to grow as manufacturers improve performance and range to the e-scooters and e-motorcycles. Dave Hurst, principal research analyst with Navigant Research acknowledged the North American market is still very much in its infancy. Still, he says, the U.S. will see strong growth with a compound annual growth rate of greater than 50 percent through 2018.

The global market for e-scooters and e-motorcycles is being largely driven by increasing urbanization, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region where it's expected to grow 55 percent by 2014. The resulting increased traffic and pollution has prompted governments to step promote e-motorcycles and e-scooters, according to the report.

E-scooters and e-motorcycles also are being positively affected by the electric and light truck markets, possibly due to additional public charging infrastructure or increased comfort with electric driving, the report says.

Graphic: Navigant Research

Photo: Flickr user Ssppeeeeddyy

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com