Norton Motorcycles has pulled the plug on an advanced electric motorbike project despite the historic manufacturer having received £8.5 million from UK taxpayers to develop it.
Executives at the Midlands-based firm said there was simply not enough demand for electric superbikes to justify production.
The injection of public funds came through the government-backed Advanced Propulsion Centre in 2021. It was supposed to help Norton, along with partners including Warwick University, develop a high-performance electric motorcycle under the codename Project Zen (Zero Emission Norton).
Though a prototype has been completed, company bosses said the project will not be taken forward.
Richard Arnold, chief executive of Norton, told the Telegraph that the prototype was capable of “spectacular” levels of performance.
“There’s a lot of technological innovations within it, a lot of design innovations within it,” he said. “But there is a question: [for] the people that have sought to bring electric bikes to market, has the demand been good or bad? And the demand has been bad.
“You can develop as many products as you want. But we have to make sure that they’re ones consumers want to buy, and the evidence to date is that this is something consumers aren’t ready for.”
Richard Arnold, left, and Nevijo Mance took over the running of Norton Motorcycles last year
Norton’s decision reflects a broader malaise in the electric motorcycle sector. Sales have stalled globally and even industry giants are struggling.
Harley-Davidson’s electric spin-off, LiveWire, sold just 33 bikes in the first quarter of 2025, a 72 per cent drop year-on-year, and reported an operating loss of $20 million during that period. In Britain, sales of electric two-wheelers fell by 7.7 per cent in 2024.
For Norton, the decision to park the Zen prototype may be part of a broader pivot. Now owned by TVS Motor Company of India, the company is preparing a relaunch that is expected to include up to six new petrol-powered models, including a lower-cost motorcycle designed for mass production, probably in India.
The brand, which builds a few hundred machines annually at its Solihull plant, hopes to raise that figure to thousands.
Founded in Birmingham in 1898, Norton was once a symbol of British industrial prowess. It built motorcycles for the armed forces during the Second World War and enjoyed a postwar heyday on the racing circuit. But a series of missteps under private ownership culminated in financial collapse in 2020. Since then TVS has invested more than £150 million to revive the marque.
Harley Davidson’s LiveWire electric motorbike
HARLEY DAVIDSON
The company is now focused on producing premium petrol bikes including the £44,000 V4SV as well as a re-engineered Commando 961.
It may also produce a cheaper bike in India, according to Sudarshan Venu, the TVS boss. “We’ll definitely have a differentiated retail strategy in India covering Norton … This will help connect with the growing middle-class and top-end segments who buy sports cars and other high-end vehicles,” he said in an interview with CNBC.
Arnold said it is also possible Norton will open a US factory to produce bikes for domestic sale to avoid tariffs.
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