Electric mobility is the future and almost all vehicle manufacturers in India moving towards that future in some capacity. And this includes Royal Enfield as well. The Chennai-based legacy brand has already said that it has begun testing EV prototypes in India and other parts of the world. While so far not much was known about the EV, now an image of the company’s first electric concept motorcycle has leaked online by Autocar. The photo, which gives us a partial look at the profile of the electric concept bike, tells us that it will be called ‘electrik01’.
Visually, Royal Enfield’s electric concept motorcycle comes with a neo-vintage-themed design and styling accentuating the long, slender fuel-tank-like structure, while the front suspension looks like girder forks. However, we also see some modern elements like alloy wheels. The frame of the bike, which extends over the tank like an exoskeleton, is treated in brushed silver and offers a good contrast to the British racing green hue of the tank, which bares the brand logo. And finally, there is also a very retro-looking round headlamp, which we expect will get LED lighting.
In the photo, you will also get to see a portion of the battery pack, which is covered by an all-black housing. Having said that, it’s too soon to speculate anything about the technical specifications, like the battery and range, of the electric motorcycle.
As for the timeline for the electric motorcycle’s arrival, we believe it’s still a few years away. In fact, even when we consider the modern internal combustion engine (ICE) bikes from Royal Enfield, the motorcycles are put through extended periods of testing and development. And we believe the company would like to check all boxes before it’s ready to show even the prototype model. Having said that, it has been reported that the company will introduce a new vertical, maybe a new brand, for its electric vehicles and aims to launch its first EV by 2025.
Furthermore, Royal Enfield is yet to formally announce any investment plan for EVs in particular. However, its parent company, Eicher Motors, have applied for the PLI scheme under the champion OEM category, which confirms that it will invest Rs. 2,000 crore over a period of five years. The investment is likely to be used for beefing up its EV technology and focus on gathering resources for its electric two-wheelers.