* ABATE of Illinois…
Recent versions of the Proposed Energy Legislation at the Illinois Statehouse have included language defining an electric vehicle as a ” vehicle that is exclusively powered by and refueled by electricity, must be plugged in to charge, and is licensed to drive on public roadways.” , but excluding electric motorcycles, even though they meet the three criteria of an “electric vehicle”.
ABATE of Illinois made several attempts to get motorcycles included in the definition of electric vehicles, only to be told by several sources that the Governor’s Office does not want motorcycles to be included.
ABATE is deeply troubled by any attempts to discriminate against motorcycles when it comes to incentives, and infrastructure planning. HB3666, SB18, & SB1751 all have language stating that the Illinois Commerce Commission is to develop plans and reports regarding the accessibility and deployment of electrical transportation infrastructure. To deny the consideration of electric motorcycles in this kind of planning is exclusionary and indicates an attitude where motorcyclists, including those who may use motorcycles as a primary mode of transportation, are treated as 2nd class road users.
The rights of motorcyclists should be given equal consideration when it comes to planning the future of Illinois transportation, and this insistence by the Governor’s Office to exclude electric motorcycles from the energy bill shows a willingness on behalf of the Governor to deny that equal consideration while picking winners and losers when it comes to the future of Illinois’ Transportation.
ABATE of Illinois sincerely hopes that Governor JB Pritzker will reconsider his position, and allow electric motorcycles to have the same opportunities being given to other electric vehicles under the proposed energy legislation.
* Response from Jordan Abudayyeh…
The primary goal of the incentives included in the energy bill is to foster increasing adoption of electric vehicles as a primary mode of transportation.
Thoughts?
- sladay - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 11:59 am:
I don’t know why they won’t support the current bill and push for a trailer to include motorcycles?
- Now I'm down in it. - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 11:59 am:
Sounds like a non-response from Ms. Abudayyeh to an obvious omission of an entire segment of electric motor vehicles that many do, in fact, use for primary transportation. Nonsense.
- Jabes - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 12:00 pm:
Just makes no sense. Is there any other way to interpret this except for some weird prejudice against motorcycles?
- Annon3 - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 12:03 pm:
Sometimes ABATE you reap what you sow.
- Southern Skeptic - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 12:04 pm:
Oh, please.
- Old Illini - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 12:04 pm:
I visited Vienna, Austria where they have electric bicycles and electric scooters for rent. Stick your credit card in the slot and go.
I don’t understand why the Governor is insisting on 4 wheels.
- wut? - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 12:07 pm:
Why should we incentivize RECREATIONAL vehicles? I don’t want my taxpayer money going toward that.
- Now I'm down in it. - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 12:10 pm:
Reacreational vehicles? Again, many use them for primary transportation. This includes going to work and paying taxes, just like you.
- Dysfunction Junction - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 12:11 pm:
I don’t agree with ABATE about much, but this was an unforced error on the part of those who drafted the legislation. What’s next? Two-seat convertibles excepted? There are a lot of motorcycles still on the road that have 1-4 carburetors and no catalytic converter whatsoever. Mine has four carbs, and likely pollutes more than a modern diesel pickup truck. If the goal is to clean up the air, this “no bikes” language makes no sense. Fix it.
- downstate dem - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 12:13 pm:
“The primary goal … is to foster increasing adoption of electric vehicles as a primary mode of transportation.”
Thanks for ignoring how the rest of the state commutes to work. There’s even motorcycle parking at the suburban Metra stations.
- Matty - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 12:13 pm:
“Why should we incentivize RECREATIONAL vehicles? I don’t want my taxpayer money going toward that.”
Commuters riding electric motorcycles and/or bicycles are not using them for recreation, but as a primary mode of transit. I can understand more rural parts of the state not connecting this, but in urban areas you’re seeing more and more electric two-wheel forms of transit.
Obvious oversight by Governor’s Office that will need to be worked out further down the road.
- Bruce( no not him) - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 12:13 pm:
I wasn’t aware there are electric motorcycles on the market. Scooters and bicycles, but motorcycles?
Not much room for batteries. S/
- Annonin' - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 12:15 pm:
Surprise ABATE was snoozing. This ComEd giveaway has been brewing for years. Where they been?
- sladay - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 12:18 pm:
==I wasn’t aware there are electric motorcycles on the market.==
Harley makes one https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/en/motorcycles/livewire.html
- Steve Polite - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 12:23 pm:
“The primary goal of the incentives included in the energy bill is to foster increasing adoption of electric vehicles as a primary mode of transportation.”
Electric motorcycles are electric vehicles. Motorcycles are used as primary modes of transportation weather permitting. So why weren’t they included in the bill?
- Huh? - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 12:26 pm:
“I wasn’t aware there are electric motorcycles on the market.”
Press the google key. 140 mile range, rechargeable in 60 minutes. This is just 1 electric motorcycle manufacturer. There are others.
https://www.livewire.com/product
To the post - Not a big motorcycle fan. But should include in the legislation.
- Occam - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 12:27 pm:
The big players in the market (eg. Yamaha and Honda) are not yet ready to roll out electric motorcycles at scale. So, why open up incentives when only small, upstart companies would be the beneficiaries? The big guys will lobby/donate in order to implement incentives when they are ready.
- Socially DIstant watcher - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 12:30 pm:
Annon3 has it right. ABATE should decide if they want to complain and shame like usual, or engage and collaborate. They’re learning that it’s easier to block legislation than to pass something. Now they want something? Try a different tactic.
- Nobody Sent - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 12:31 pm:
If they agree to wear helmets, they can be covered by the law.
- OneMan - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 12:33 pm:
I thought a fundamental concept of Illinois government was not to tick off ABATE.
- Dysfunction Junction - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 12:40 pm:
Yes, Harley makes an electric bike that’s been getting the lion’s share of the press recently. Meanwhile, Zero Motorcycles has been selling them for more than a dozen years. Range is now over 200 miles, and charging times of about an hour. Easy to park too.
Excluding innovative transportation options like this makes no sense. People use all kinds of vehicles as a primary means of commuting including bicycles, skateboards and rollerblades. Want a criteria to exclude some of them? A license plate and liability insurance requirement would be a good start. Not the number of wheels.
- Commonsense in Illinois - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 12:50 pm:
The response from Jordan shouldn’t go unchallenged. She didn’t answer the question.
Is there SME reason the Governor doesn’t want to include motorcycles?
- CSI… - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 12:51 pm:
Sorry, “some” not “SME”
- We've never had one before - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 1:04 pm:
Don’t mess with ABATE.
- Fav Human - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 1:22 pm:
You can rent electric scooters all over the US. It’s odd indeed not to include a vehicle that is urban friendly and available at a much lower price point than electric cars.
- Danimal - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 1:23 pm:
Christian Mitchell’s revenge
a few years back deputy governor Christian Mitchell. The governors pointman on the energy bill was a state representative, Who introduced a sound ordinance against motorcycles the ordinance cannot get out of the democratically controlled transportation committee that was how badly it was written he did three amendments to the original bill finally giving up and saying it was for ambulances in the municipality over 3 million or something like that. So it’s a ironic that the representative who wanted a quieter motorcycles won’t give incentives to people that wanna buy them
- cermak_rd - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 1:31 pm:
Sorry ABATE, you either agree to helmets or don’t get a incentive. Can’t have both. And you’ve already chosen.
- Lefty Lefty - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 1:35 pm:
Honestly the lack of forward thinking and perspective among our political leaders is astonishing sometimes.
- sal-says - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 2:27 pm:
Doesn’t seem like a hill fighting over ?
- low level - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 2:31 pm:
== that was how badly it was written ==
Um, legislators dont introduce “ordinances”. You’re post is almost impossible to understand its so badly composed. Did you fall of your bike without a helmet?
To the post, motorcycles are dangerous vehicles. They shouldnt be included.
- Dysfunction Junction - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 3:47 pm:
==Um, legislators dont [sic] introduce “ordinances”. You’re [sic] post is almost impossible to understand its [sic] so badly composed. Did you fall of your bike without a helmet? To the post, motorcycles are dangerous vehicles. They shouldnt [sic] be included. ==
To your comment LL, the perceived danger or safety of a vehicle is not germane to the subject of the post or the legislation. It was about energy, with the goal of encouraging a shift from internal combustion vehicles to ones powered by renewable energy. There may be a suitable forum to grind your particular axe, but I’m not sure this is the best one. As to the writing tips, sic em, Tiger (banned punctuation)
- VerySmallRocks - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 4:28 pm:
Big whoop, they could amend the bill next year. I don’t see these Marlon Brando wannabes rushing to get one, being too busy breaking laws and being organ donors.
- Bad Habits - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 5:55 pm:
==/ cermak_rd - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 1:31 pm:
Sorry ABATE, you either agree to helmets or don’t get a incentive. Can’t have both. And you’ve already chosen.===
What does wearing helmets have to do with this?
- SKI - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 6:09 pm:
Both Representative Evans and Senator Hastings expressed support for a trailer bill to fix this issue.
Unfortunately, there isn’t much faith in a trailer bill process. TA plates were increased from $18 to $118 in 2019. There were trailer bills to fix that issue in November of 2019, Spring of 2020, and 2021 Session. One of these bills had enough sponsors to pass out of the House, but couldn’t even get heard in committee. ABATE was involved in that fight too. That might just be why they’re not willing to sit back and just wait for a trailer bill.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 6:30 pm:
===there isn’t much faith in a trailer bill process===
Please. They do them all the time.
- Flapdoodle - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 7:44 pm:
Granted motorcycles are used by some as a primary means of transportation, they nonetheless have seasonal limitations
- low level - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 8:56 pm:
Gee, Dysfunction Junction, I didn’t realize legislators introduced ordinances.
Critique still stands, Cowboy.
- Zoomer - Friday, Sep 10, 21 @ 6:21 am:
I own a Harley, often use it for transportation to/from work (28 miles each way), and I always wear a helmet.
I also pay for a vehicle license plate sticker on my HOG every year.
I’d consider purchasing an electric MC if it were factored into a trailer.
Until then, I’ll stick with the 93-octane-fueled ‘06 1450cc HD Street Glide.
- Zoomer - Friday, Sep 10, 21 @ 6:25 am:
Oh yeah, almost forgot: my Harley averages 40 mpg.
How many other “conventional” gas-powered vehicles can claim that?