Zero Motorcycles, the American electric motorbike maker, has surprisingly announced that it is moving its headquarters to the Netherlands, a decision which follows the transfer of production from America to the Philippines two years ago. The company plans on keeping its R&D and Engineering hub in California’s Silicon Valley for now, but non-engineering departments will be transferred to the Netherlands, where Zero’s European HQ has been located for over 15 years.
The move seems in part down to the more developed state of the European market for electric motorcycles, as well as the current challenges facing US companies doing business globally. In a statement, Zero said it ‘…remains strongly committed to the US market despite current US Tariff policies’ confirming it will continue to sell bikes in its former homeland.
The EU and the US are currently engaged in a trade war, which is seeing high tariffs placed on a number of imported goods – including petrol powered motorcycles from Indian and Harley-Davidson. At a time when Zero needs to lower the cost of its motorcycles to consumers, the decision to move much of its business away from the US may well be seen as a way to avoid being hit by swingeing taxes in Europe should they get embroiled in the politics.
The shakeup is part of a major change of direction for Zero. Last year saw them pivot away from its previous policy of only developing powerful full sized electric motorcycles, by introducing the lightweight off-road X-line models. Similar to the popular Sur-Ron range, the £3890 XB can be ridden on road with a moped licence, while the bigger and more powerful (but still learner legal) XE delivers a 50mph top speed for £5590 – less than half the price of Zero’s previous entry level product.
Talking about the changes, Zero Motorcycles’ CEO Sam Paschel said: “Zero has led the electric motorcycle category for nearly two decades. With Europe setting the pace for EV adoption, moving key headquarters functions into the Netherlands allows us to respond faster to customer needs and strengthen our global operations.
This is about focus, discipline, and ensuring we lead the transformation of the powersports industry. Tightly coordinating our global headquarters functions in Europe ensures we remain the clear leader in electric motorcycles and sets the stage for the most exciting chapter in the company’s history.”
Despite Paschel’s claim that Europe is setting the pace for EV adoption, the company still appears to be struggling to gain a foothold in the UK, despite having had a near endless run of promotional discounts for several years.
A look at the company’s website suggests just nine British dealers are currently stocking Zero motorcycles, less than half of the number from five years ago, while industry figures show that there were no full powered (over 47bhp) electric motorcycles registered in August 2025, with only three A2 licence machines rolling out of dealerships.
It looks like British bikers are not yet sold on the idea of battery powered motorcycles, although Zero will be hoping Honda’s entry into the market with the WN7, its first full sized electric motorcycle, will help spark some public interest in the genre, while the more affordable X-line models help introduce the Zero brand to a whole new audience.
Despite the low sales, Zero remains the global leader in full sized electric motorcycles. It states that its primary shareholder has committed a further $50 million of funding, suggesting the investors do believe there is a long-term future for electric motorcycling, even if traditional motorcyclists seem to be suggesting otherwise.
