Norton Motorcycles clinches £8.5m funding to build electric bikes in UK
Norton Motorcycles is set to receive a £8.5m cash injection from the government in order to build new electric bikes in the UK.
The chief executive of the iconic brand, which was founded in Birmingham in 1898, told The Telegraph newspaper that the UK was the ideal location for production.
There was a “very high level of passion” for motorbikes in the UK, Robert Hentschel told the newspaper.
The company, which produced motorbikes for the army during the Second World War, has been awarded cash by the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), which funds firms developing low carbon tech in the automotive industry.
It is believed that the development of the bikes will take 30 months and require a significant number of extra jobs.
Hentschel added: “Cities are completely crowded with vehicles and there’s a lot of traffic. “The volume of two wheelers being sold in the future will increase and I also think that we will gain younger customers for the Norton brand.”
The motorcycle maker executive said he was eager for ministers to slash regulations around higher-power electric vehicles.
Presently, motorcycles that can go faster than 15.5 miles per hour require a licence for riders.