Can South Korea clean up its streets by electrifying old motorcycles? Government study begins

SEOUL – South Korea is exploring whether gas-powered motorbikes — widely used for delivery services — can be converted to electric models as a cleaner, quieter alternative for its cities.

The Ministry of Environment announced earlier this month it is funding a new eight-month research project to evaluate the practicality of retrofitting existing motorbikes with electric motors.

“The project is not a new policy rollout, but rather a groundwork effort to understand if such conversions could make environmental and economic sense,” a ministry official said.

This comes as part of the government’s broader push to reduce urban air pollution and noise, particularly in densely populated areas like Seoul. Motorbikes are often overlooked in national climate targets, yet they are included in the high-emissions vehicle category. According to the ministry, a small gas-powered motorcycle — with an engine under 50 cubic centimeters — can emit 23 times more carbon monoxide and 279 times more hydrocarbons than a small car of the same age.

Electrifying these bikes could help — especially in South Korea’s well-developed food delivery sector — but adoption of fully electric motorbikes has so far fallen short of expectations.

Despite government subsidies introduced in 2018, the number of electric motorcycles being registered has declined since peaking in 2021. According to the National Assembly Budget Office, South Korea aimed to put nearly 29,000 new electric motorcycles on the road in 2023, but fewer than 8,200 actually materialized, meeting just 28.5 percent of the target.

Several reasons were cited: Most electric models offer a range of just 70 to 80 kilometers per charge, not ideal for full-time delivery riders who travel over 100 kilometers a day on average, according to a 2024 study commissioned by the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement. High upfront costs and a lack of charging infrastructure have also been major barriers.

Noise pollution is another growing concern. Ministry data show that motorcycle-related noise complaints jumped from 2,450 in 2022 to 4,391 in 2023 — a 79 percent increase in just one year.

The study now underway will examine how realistic and cost-effective it would be to offer an alternative path of letting existing motorcycle owners retrofit their bikes instead of buying new electric ones from scratch.

Indonesia offers one model to watch

The ministry has cited other international cases as reference points, including Indonesia. Indonesia began subsidizing gas-to-electric motorcycle conversions in 2023. The government covers costs of around 10 million rupiah ($593) per vehicle, which helped boost conversions from just 145 in 2023 to over 1,100 in early 2024, according to Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.