Founded in Singapore, riding overseas: Why local electric motorcycle firms are looking abroad

Singapore’s electric motorcycle companies are looking overseas after a domestic market that has barely grown. Only 433 electric motorcycles were on the roads in July, representing 0.2 per cent of the country’s motorcycle population. Electric cars, by contrast, have surpassed 69,000 and account for more than 10 per cent of cars.

The market’s early promise faded after Mo Batteries abandoned its battery-swapping plans. The company, which had taken part in Singapore’s 2022 trials, cited the time and investment required to meet regulatory requirements. It has since been deregistered.

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springboard

Other firms are taking a different route. Instead of relying on dedicated swapping stations, some are developing motorcycles that use existing electric-vehicle charging infrastructure. Others are targeting corporate fleets first, hoping larger, predictable users can make the economics work before ordinary consumers adopt the technology.

Several companies have also gone where motorcycles are more common. Kilats has operated in Indonesia since 2024, renting almost 700 electric motorcycles to Grab in Bali and Bandung through 44 battery-swapping stations. The company plans to expand in Indonesia, enter Thailand by the end of the year, and move into Vietnam and the Philippines in 2027.

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Using Singapore as the funding and brain-base allows companies to scale faster across the region, in terms of permits, partnerships and capital deployment

For co-founder Vincent Yap, Singapore remains a “springboard” rather than an operating market. “Using Singapore as the funding and brain-base allows companies to scale faster across the region, in terms of permits, partnerships and capital deployment,” he said. “Singapore is our ‘mothership’ and investment holding vehicle where we plan to have direct shareholding interests in all operations overseas.”

The Land Transport Authority said it is progressively encouraging the electrification of vehicle segments, including motorcycles, as Singapore works toward 100 per cent cleaner-energy vehicles by 2040. It also said adoption remains at an early stage compared with four-wheelers.

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Singapore is our ‘mothership’ and investment holding vehicle where we plan to have direct shareholding interests in all operations overseas