Energy Efficiency Comparison Of An Original Conventional Motorcycle And Its Electric Conversion

Rivanol Chadry (Department of Mechanical Engineering, Politeknik Negeri Padang, Indonesia)
Mutiara Efendi (Department of Mechanical Engineering, Politeknik Negeri Padang, Indonesia)
Menhendry Menhendry (Department of Mechanical Engineering, Politeknik Negeri Padang, Indonesia)
Fardinal Fardinal (Department of Mechanical Engineering, Politeknik Negeri Padang, Indonesia)

International Journal of Social Science
Vol. 6 No. 3 (2026): October 2026

This study compared the energy consumption and operational cost of a conventional motorcycle before conversion and the same vehicle after conversion to an electric motorcycle. The study used a comparative experimental approach. The conventional motorcycle and the converted electric motorcycle were tested under the same 16.5 km route condition. The conventional motorcycle consumed 350 mL of Pertalite, whereas the converted motorcycle consumed 5.1 Ah from a 72 V battery system. Using the fuel energy conversion stated in the study, the conventional motorcycle required approximately 191.8 Wh/km of input energy, while the converted motorcycle required approximately 22.3 Wh/km based on battery-side energy. The field-test cost was reported as Rp 3,500 for the conventional motorcycle and Rp 600 for the converted motorcycle, corresponding to reported unit operating costs of approximately Rp 250/km and Rp 36/km, respectively. The converted motorcycle therefore showed substantially lower energy input per kilometre and operating cost under the tested conditions. The results indicate that motorcycle conversion can provide a practical pathway for reducing operational energy demand and daily running costs.