Industry Weighs Environmentally Friendly Fuel Internal Combustion Engines
September 11, 2025 (US time): International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) and Dorna Sports announced FIM MotoE World Championship will be placed on hiatus after the 2025 season. Since its first launch in 2019 as an innovative experiment in electric motorcycle racing, fan interest and market impact fell short of expectations. MotoE started as part of MotoGP eco-friendly innovation project -- showcasing electric bike performance and attracting new fan demographics. However, over 7 years the competition produced interesting races and champions but failed to form a sustainable fan base. Industry background: the motorcycle industry over recent years has focused more on developing more efficient internal combustion engines and non-fossil fuels rather than pure electric. MotoGP has already been using minimum 40% non-fossil fuel since 2024. This suggests the industry has chosen a different path for sustainability -- rather than full electrification, a gradual transition through synthetic and biofuels enabling existing internal combustion technology to become carbon-neutral. The future of electric motorsport: Formula E (electric car racing) has established a sustainable fan base while MotoE has not -- the difference may relate to the visceral appeal of motorcycle racing (sound, vibration, physical riding skill) being more disrupted by electrification than car racing.
