Powerhouse gift to encourage sustainable transport among learner motorcyclists
Islanders learning to ride a motorcycle with the Jersey School of Motorcycling will soon be buzzing around the Island on the latest Bumblebee Classic electric moped whilst raising funds for charity. As part of Jersey Electricity’s commitment to encouraging the uptake of electric transport, the Powerhouse has donated the Bumblebee for the Motorcycling School’s use for a minimum of three years, with any rental fees given to charities chosen by the Powerhouse.
JSM Director Kerry Humphreys was presented with the scooter by JE Head of Retail Gavin Murphy. She said: ‘I first saw one of these being used by someone on one of our courses and thought how good they would be for the School so we are grateful to JE and the Powerhouse for making it possible.’
JSM put around 570 riders through their CBT last year, with the biggest age group being 16-year-olds. Those who do not have their own bike to start with, can hire one and Kerry hopes the Bumblebee will be in high demand. She added: ‘Hopefully, by being introduced to electric transport from the start of their driving careers, they will continue to choose sustainable transport as a mode of travel.'
And for a motorcycling school, the Bumblebee has an added safety feature over traditional petrol bikes as Gavin explained: ‘These Bumblebees have a maximum speed of 28mph and you can’t modify them to go faster than that, unlike bikes with traditional engines.’
The Bumblebee's 3000w motor is equivalent to a 50cc bike and therefore requires Jersey drivers to hold a moped licence or take a CBT. The 72w 20ah battery takes about five hours to charge and can be removed and charged at home or in the workplace like a laptop. On Jersey Electricity’s General Domestic Tariff 40 miles would cost approximately 22p. That reduces to 12p for 40 miles if charged on an overnight off-peak tariff.
