While EV cars and trucks have become an everyday sight on American roads, the same can't be said of EV motorbikes. There are several reasons you can point to, ranging from form factor limitations, technological challenges, infrastructure challenges, and, of course, not to mention a strong dislike of things that don't Make The Noise™ that riders want them to.
Riding cultures here are different than those in other places, period. In most places outside the US and Canada, there are simply more riders who use their bikes for practical, everyday purposes like commuting, rather than simply for leisure. And so, the small-displacement equivalent EV scooters and motorcycles that are much easier to bring to market in the current era do well in those places.
Off-road bikes are an exception, of course, and that's one place where Zero Motorcycles saw a one-two punch of a niche that it's been working to fill. Enter the XB and XE, the two most affordable EV motorcycles in Zero's lineup. Ready to play in the dirt, and also ready to not put a serious dent in your wallet. That, friends, is a strong example of reading the room. There's a place for bikes like these, and Zero correctly identified it.
And now, the company seems to be on to another example of reading the room.
To start out October 2025, California-based Zero Motorcycles officially announced "the transition of key global functions from Scotts Valley, California to the European Headquarters in the Netherlands." It then went on to say that its Netherlands HQ will officially become Zero's new global HQ.
What does this mean? Well, according to the American EV firm, its engineering department will stay in Scotts Valley, but most other functions and departments will move to the new global HQ in the Netherlands as part of a broader global strategy. Why? Very simply, EV motorbikes are doing much better in Europe (and elsewhere) than they are in the US.
If you're Zero, and all you do is make EV motorcycles, why wouldn't you want to go to where your products are wanted? The logic is sound, even if it does seem a little bittersweet for some folks who may have enjoyed having the one semi-successful EV motorcycle firm headquartered in California.
Does this mean that Zero is leaving the US market behind? Well, not according to its announcement. It says that, and I quote, "Zero remains strongly committed to the US market despite current US Tariff policies." So it isn't goodbye just yet.
But at the same time, if you're trying to stay ahead of the curve and maybe even grow as a company, it's not difficult to understand why Zero might make a choice like this. In the Netherlands alone, a 2024 European Commission report noted that there's already 35 percent battery-electric vehicle (BEV) adoption throughout the country.
What will this mean for Zero's future? That's unclear, but hopefully we'll catch a glimpse of something shiny and full of electrons at EICMA next month.
