While EV cars and trucks have become an everyday sight on American roads, the same can't be said of EV motorbikes. There are several reasons you can point to, ranging from form factor limitations, technological challenges, infrastructure challenges, and, of course, not to mention a strong dislike of things that don't Make The Noise™ that riders want them to.
Riding cultures here are different than those in other places, period. In most places outside the US and Canada, there are simply more riders who use their bikes for practical, everyday purposes like commuting, rather than simply for leisure. And so, the small-displacement equivalent EV scooters and motorcycles that are much easier to bring to market in the current era do well in those places.
Off-road bikes are an exception, of course, and that's one place where Zero Motorcycles saw a one-two punch of a niche that it's been working to fill. Enter the XB and XE, the two most affordable EV motorcycles in Zero's lineup. Ready to play in the dirt, and also ready to not put a serious dent in your wallet. That, friends, is a strong example of reading the room. There's a place for bikes like these, and Zero correctly identified it.
