How the French Army has been experimenting with electric motorcycles

The French military has joined the ranks of e-bike riders as it concludes the first round of testing on electric two-wheelers. Across the world, armed forces are no strangers to electric bikes.

The Battle Lab Terre innovation group of the French ground forces' technical division, which is backed by the mobility and land space planning group (MOB-AGESTER), recently announced the completion of the first phase of e-bike testing.

The French military employed two versions created by the French high-performance e-bike manufacturer LMX Bikes as part of the test.

The first model is a class 3 e-bike in the US that can reach up to 28 mph (45 km/h) and is called a speed pedelec (LMX 56 in France). The second model that the military tested is a light electric motorcycle called the LMX 161, which can reach up to 50 mph (80 km/h) even though it weighs just 99 lbs (45 kg).

As the Section technique de l’armée de Terre (STAT) explained:

“This experiment, which will be further developed in 2024, should confirm the prospects for the use of these vehicles within the units, with regard to the evaluation of their performance (speed, autonomy, discretion, etc.) for defined missions (transmission of information, delivery of equipment, infiltration/exfiltration, etc.).”

We have been following LMX for years, watching as they roll out new e-bike models that seem to capture some of the light electric motorcycle spirit, as well as new light e-moto models that appear to be as easy to ride as an e-bike. The company recently expanded operations in the US and Canada with a new importer, DIAN Motors, bringing their powerful e-bikes and lightweight e-motos to North America.

Such hybrid-style e-bikes may be excellent for military applications requiring quick, nimble vehicles that are lightweight and versatile in a range of functions. Motorcycles have long been utilized in military applications, although their typically noisy combustion engines confine them to support tasks. We've seen many more instances of military throughout the world examining electric bikes and motorbikes for more tactical use cases.

We heard last summer that in its fight with Russia, e-bikes had proven handy for bringing sniper teams into position as well as lugging anti-tank missiles.

Ukrainian troops ride an electric motorcycle equipped with anti-tank missiles placed on the rack.

We learnt in 2018 that Norway's military services were testing fat-tire electric bicycles in border guard patrols.

When the New Zealand Defense Forces began testing UBCO's electric utility bikes in 2020, patrol tasks on e-bikes were also studied.

Since 2021, Australian military have been testing stealth electric bikes, and we also saw the first deployment of helicopter-mounted electric motorbikes in an application geared for fast insertion of special operators on low-signature electric dirt bikes.

Closer to home, the US military has tested electric mopeds produced by Huck Cycles in North Carolina for tactical usage.