Category: Electric Bike

Top 10 Electric Bikes in India

The world is already running out of fossil fuel reserves, and the level of pollution is increasing dangerously day by day, causing trouble in our routine lives. So, making electric vehicles part of our lives is the need of the hour and starting small with buying electric vehicles is a step towards meeting the global goals of climate change. To help you make your e-journey more comfortable, we’ve created a list of Top 10 Electric Bikes in India.

Revolt RV400

  • Range: 150 kilometres
  • Torque: 170 Nm 
  • Battery: Lithium-Ion

If you’re looking for an electric bike for your daily commute, then you should definitely go for a Revolt RV400. It is the first electric motorcycle from Revolt Intellicorp, a Gurugram-headquartered start-up managed by Rahul Sharma, the same man who co-founded Micromax in India. The Revolt RV400 is the first AI-enabled electric motorcycle in the Indian market. The sleek, sporty and muscular e-bike is manufactured on the same lines as Micromax, bringing the Chinese components and Indianising it. 

The design of the RV400 resembles the Chinese-made Super Soco TS1200R e-bike. The RV400 e-bike offers a fully digital instrument panel, a 3.24kW lithium-ion battery, 85km of top speed, an ARAI-certified range of 156km, a combi brake system, and a warranty of 8 years or 1,50,000 km, whichever is earlier. The e-bike is available in two variants; the premium variant is priced at ₹1,02,000, and the standard variant is priced at ₹90,000.

TVS iQube Electric

  • Range: 75 kilometres
  • Torque: 140 Nm 
  • Battery: Lithium-Ion

TVS entered the electric scooter segment with the launch of the iQube Electric scooter. The e-bike is priced at ₹1,15,000 and offers exceptional value for money, along with riding comfort. The TVS e-bike is powered by a 4.4kW electric hub motor and a set of 2.25kWh li-ion batteries. It provides up to 75km of range in one single charge and a top speed of 78 Kmph. The exceptionally refined and silent e-bike has two riding modes – economy and power.

The TVS iCube electric offers a Q-park Assist feature, which helps in forward and backward motion assistance. Also, it offers several other features such as an all-LED lighting system, a TFT instrument cluster and smartphone connectivity. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the expansion of the iCube e-bike, and that’s why it is currently available only in selected cities, including Bengaluru, Delhi, and Pune. The impressive and practical iCube will compete with the Bajaj Chetak, and soon it will be available in more cities by March 2022.

Ather 450X

  • Range: 65 kilometres
  • Torque: 20.5 Nm 
  • Battery: Lithium-Ion

Ather Energy Pvt. Ltd. is a Bangalore-headquartered electric vehicle company founded in 2013 by Tarun Mehta and Swapnil Jain. The Ather 450X e-scooter is developed and manufactured entirely in India, and it is one of the best e-scooters to hit the market. The 450X was first launched in late 2019 at ₹1,32,000, and it appears very much identical with Ather 450. The stand-out e-scooter is offered in three colours, space grey with a yellow, white body with green accents and mint green with orange accents. Ather 450X supports a 4G sim card, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth connectivity, smart helmets, and tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS). 

The e-scooter offers three different riding modes, X-Eco, Ride and Sport, with adjustable attributes, making 450X a flawless e-scooter for Indian roads. It also offers one special mode, Warp mode which helps you to accelerate from 0-40kmph in 3.41 seconds. The e-scooter has a battery capacity of 2.9kWh, and it takes about 5 hours and 30 minutes to charge the battery fully when using a standard home-charging point. A fully charged 450X can aid you to achieve the average 65kms of range. Ather Grid, an electric vehicle charging infrastructure, has set up over 120 fast charging points in 18 cities across India as of March 2021.

Bajaj Chetak

  • Range:  95 kilometres 
  • Torque: 16.2 Nm
  • Battery: Lithium-Ion

The Bajaj Chetak scooter has a special place in the heart of the middle-class Indians, the iconic scooter was relaunched in 2020 as an electric scooter, and like the good old days, the scooter grabbed people’s attention. The Chetak e-scooter is priced at ₹1,42,000, and currently, it is available for sale in Pune, Bangalore and Nagpur. The company has plans to expand the sale and make the model available in 22 cities by the end of 2022.

The Bajaj Chetak has a 3.8 kW BLDC motor that offers Eco and Sport riding modes. The e-scooter has a 3kW lithium-ion battery which provides a range of 80 km on a single charge. The Chetak e-scooter is available in urbane and premium variants with 6 colours options. The seamless and stylish e-scooter from the house of Bajaj is designed in metal, which helps it stand apart from the other e-scooters. The Chetak competes against the Ather 450X and the TVS iQube Electric.

Okinawa iPraise+

  • Range: 139 kilometres
  • Torque: 40 Nm
  • Battery: Lithium-Ion

The name Okinawa may sound similar to Japanese or Chinese background, but Okinawa is an Indian company started in 2015. The Gurgaon headquartered company manufactures India’s fastest and most advanced e-scooters, and Okinawa iPraise+ is one of them. Okinawa e-bikes witnessed massive price cuts following the Fame II subsidy scheme in 2020, and that’s why the e-bike iPraise+ is now priced at ₹99,708, about ₹17,892 less expensive than the previous price.

The Okinawa iPraise+ is identical to its elder sibling iPraise, but the new plus version e-bike uses detachable lithium-ion batteries and gets premium features such as geofencing, virtual speed limit, find my scooter, battery health tracker, maintenance/insurance reminder, and vehicle status. The e-bike is powered by a 1000w BLDC motor that can make up to 2500w power to reach a top speed of 58kmph. The iPraise+ is claimed to be charged in 4 to 5 hours and provides you 139Km of range in one go.

Hero Electric Optima HX (Dual Battery)

  • Range: 122 kilometres
  • Torque:  N/A
  • Battery: Lithium-Ion

Hero is one of India’s most popular and trustable bike brands, and only the name is enough to make sure this scooter will be reliable and suitable for the average Indian biker. Hero has several e-bikes in their lineup, but if you’re looking for an electric bike that will best fit the city roads in India, then Hero Optima HX (Dual Battery) is the best option for you. The e-bike offers a Telescopic Suspension to help you avoid rough and bumpy rides; the suspension assures you a smooth and jerk-free ride. 

The 12-inch alloy wheels in Optima HX make your vehicle lighter and more stable. The 550/1200 Watts of Motor Power allows you a top speed of 42kmph. The lightweight frame Optima HX (Dual Battery) is claimed to be charged fully in 4 to 5 hours and provides a 122 Km range in a single charge. The e-bike arrives with a shiny body design, along with a spacious comfortable seat. The Optima HX (Dual Battery) is available in four colour options and is priced at ₹59,000.

Ultraviolette F77

  • Range: 108 kilometres
  • Torque: 90 Nm
  • Battery: Lithium-Ion

Ultraviolette F77 is India’s first sporty electric motorcycle and brings its design inspiration from the aviation space. The e-bike offers innovative engineering from the inside out along with intelligent interfacing. The F77 is powered by a 27kW electric motor producing 33.5bhp and 90Nm of torque to provide you with 0-100kmph in just 7.5 seconds. Currently, Ultraviolette F77 is the most powerful on sale electric motorcycle in India, giving you a top speed of 147kmph. 

The F77 motorcycle houses three removable lithium-ion batteries of 4.2kWh each to allow you to cover the range of 150km on one single charge. The electric motorcycle also supports fast charging to give you 0 to 80 per cent in just 50 minutes. The F77 offers smart features such as LTE connectivity, Adaptive dashboard brightness with Ambient Light Sensor, GPS/GLONASS positioning for real-time velocity, Shock and Impact sensors and Customisable Performance Profiles. The freaky and sporty looking e-bike is priced at ₹3,00,000.

Joy e-bike Monster

  • Range: 75 kilometres
  • Torque: 30 Nm
  • Battery: Lithium-Ion

Joy e-bike Monster is one of the most stylish products offered by the Gujarat-based two-wheeler manufacturing company Joy e-Bike. The Monster e-bike is inspired by the Honda Grom 125, and at the same time, its design looks quite similar to the Ducati Monster. The sleek and stylish petrol free bike runs on a powerful 72V/39Ah Lithium-Ion battery and hydraulic suspension. The e-bike takes 4 to 4.5 hours to charge from flat to 100% and offers 75km of range in one charge. The Joy e-bike Monster is powered by 250 Watts Brushless Hub motor and priced at ₹1,06,000.

Pure EV Epluto 7G

  • Range: 90-120 kilometres
  • Torque: 60 Nm
  • Battery: Lithium-Ion

The Pure EV Epluto 7G is a premium looking e-bike that offers a serene ride with an emission-free and anxiety-free experience. The e-bike is specially made for Indian roads and matches some of the best options on the list. The design of the Epluto 7G is modern and attractive, which resembles the Vespa models and Bajaj Chetak. The e-bike generates 1500W power from its BLDC motor to get a top speed of 65kmph. The high-speed electric scooter helps you achieve a speed of 0-40 kmph in just 5 seconds and offers a range of around 90-120kms in one full charge. The bike accommodates Anti-theft Smart Lock and a ladies footrest option. The e-bike is available in 6 colour options and is priced at ₹83,999.

Hero Electric Photon HX

  • Range: 108 kilometres
  • Torque:  N/A
  • Battery: Lithium-Ion

The new Photon HX is a high-speed electric scooter from the house of Hero electric. The e-scooter is offered in a single variant – HX and three colour options. The Hero Photon HX generates 1200W power from its motor to provide you with a top speed of 45kmph. The e-scooter arrives with powerful LED headlamps to help you ride safely, even in the dark and 10-inch alloy wheels to make your vehicle lighter and more stable. The Hero Electric Photon HX takes 5 hours to charge the battery fully and offers 108km of range in one go. The e-scooter is priced at ₹71,440 and can be a valuable option for any rider.

Get the more information about the Electric Bikes

Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure: NITI Aayog’s Policy Review Part – 2

So far, we have discussed EVSE, Battery Capacity Segmentation, and Battery Swapping when we reviewed NITI Aayog’s Policy Document on Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure. If you missed all of these sections, along with concrete recommendations made by Exhibit, you could read all of them here. Let’s move on and go further with this document to assess what all things are here for you.

Public Charging Points

Not so important section, but you cannot ignore it. Well, it becomes important for stakeholders to think about bringing establishments and distance between such closest points. NITI Aayog has given the example of the EU and how they have kept different charging points or stations for several categories of vehicles. However, one should only see the good practices present in the EU countries and not adopt them as the conditions in India will be pretty different. In addition to this, Exhibit will also suggest you check how electricity for charging is getting produced. Even, Government and private players who will get involved in this domain need to ponder about green production of electricity. One such example is of setting up a Solar-powered electric vehicle charging station in Karnal (midpoint of Delhi and Chandigarh in the Delhi Chandigarh highway by BHEL). 

Setting Targets 

Don’t worry; you are not playing a cricket match where one of us has set a target for another. The Indian team had proved its mettle on Lord’s again a few days back when they defeated the England team by 151 runs. Since the core discussion is on electric vehicle charging infrastructure, we will stick to it. The Government of India, through different ministries, has set a target of where to install a charging station, be it in a public place, semi-public place, or private place. But, the issue is that again all this is going through different branches. Rather, the focus should be brought to a special-purpose vehicle or working group that will formulate everything in this sector. No doubt NITI Aayog has talked about nodal agencies and working groups. However, NITI Aayog has assigned different niches to them.

Assessing Demands

Trust me, but this section is very confined on which the policy formulation team has worked properly. Under this, NITI Aayog has laid out the assessment plan with which you as a stakeholder can understand the demand. NITI Aayog is right in its place to record data of how many vehicles are coming, along with the charging time it takes to refuel the batteries installed in EVs. Also, you have to examine the timeline to understand how this demand is increasing.

Leveraging Streets & Electricity Grids

NITI Aayog has also provided information on how a Germany-based startup has utilized the street poles to upgrade them and build mini charging points. Hence, there is optimum space for leveraging the street and its essential points where one recharges their EV batteries. And, to tap such poles for electricity, it becomes important to ponder electricity grid and street poles connection. But, if one thinks of such connections, one has to consider electricity tariff rates. For this purpose, all the state governments have to come up with a consolidated strategy. Consolidated strategy means instructing DISCOMS to establish a parallel framework or bring a new connection for such electricity supply. 

Final Remarks on NITI Aayog Policy’s on Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure

No doubt, NITI Aayog has laid down a vibrant framework to ensure a country like India can create a conducive ecosystem. But, it also becomes necessary to work upon eliminating loopholes. For other Auto-Tech section articles, click here.

Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure: NITI Aayog’s Policy Review Part – 1

A few days ago, our Chief Editor, Ramesh Somani, came with a quote – Future is Electric. Yes, it is. As if Ramesh Somani has some sort of telepathy with one of the largest think tanks of this country – NITI Aayog. Why? Check out their website, and you will know why. Recently NITI Aayog has come up with their new handbook on Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure. Now, terracotta environmentalists can differ from me that EV policy is not going to help. The 6th IPCC Report also showcases that human effort towards a better future in terms of climate change is not helping a lot. But, EVs can turn around things and reduce the penetration of pollutants in your vicinity. Let’s know what this handbook is all about from this Exhibit blog.

Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE)

If you don’t know what terminology I have just thrown towards you, let me make you understand it easily. Well, this EVSE is nothing but the core component of charging infrastructure. It’s like finding a charging station for your EV, like when you seek electric sockets to charge your smartphones. However, an EVSE has more niche than your smartphone charging point. It is because your EVSE is a public point and will not be present at your home. Hence, you must add more functionality, including user authorization, authentication process for charging, privacy, security, information storage, and network management for better regulations. 

Segmentation based on Battery Capacity

Trust me; it’s an important section. Wherever you go to fill the tanks of your car in a pumping station, you get several choices – petrol, diesel, power, CNG, etc. A similar sort of consideration should come in the charging infrastructure prospect of an EV. Why? Now, your two-wheeler EV will not have the same battery capacity that your four-wheeler will hold. Even when the Government of India will think about EV trucks, situations will become more different. So, if anyone thinks to install a charging infrastructure on any land, one must also ponder battery capacity segmentation. 

Battery Charging or Battery Swapping

EV battery charging methods will have different methods, consisting of AC or DC. Apart from this, the charging infrastructure must have a battery swapping facility if the lifespan of a battery finishes. But, it can be in a normal car repairing centre. No, it should not be there. You will like to know the reason for sure. See, many of these repairing centres will have the capital to go for such battery replacement. But batteries are a bit costly, and it won’t be possible for small repair centres. Thinking about the population of this country who will purchase EVs after the Vehicle Scrappage Policy, the demands for batteries will increase for sure. To meet such needs, charging infrastructure must add such facilities there. 

Final Remarks & Lacunae in Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure

The Exhibit team has discussed hardly anything in the handbook that NITI Aayog has brought. So, I will get more editions for you by examining every aspect of this so-called future document, just like we did yesterday for these articles. However, before we wrap, this document can add some more facilities. Governments must think about installing computer vision cameras that can track the vehicle number of your car and integrate the same with the VAHAN portal to know its car details and accordingly give directions to a particular place where they can charge their batteries (due to different battery capacities). It is an age of automation, and charging infrastructure should have such arrangements. It will surely avoid a fuss even in an electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Electric Motorcycles: From Creed To Speed

Electric vehicles have firmly established themselves as the imminent future, and while the world is adapting to them, manufacturers are already racing to be the best in the lot. While some are yet to find the recipe for success, others have created true masterpieces. Be it the fastest electric motorcycle or the most luxurious one; we can safely say that the electric future is indeed upon us.

Consider The Arc Vector. From its thoughtful, trendy neo-cafe racer design to the innovative tech it offers, something is awe-inspiring about this premium motorbike for everyone. Powered by a Samsung battery, the Arc Vector can accelerate from 0-60mph (0-100kph) in less than three seconds, and it has a top speed of 125 mph (over 200 kmph). If these figures aren’t impressive enough, it also has a 436km range and a 40-minute charge time! Who said suavity isn’t sustainable? Also, fans of matching accessories will love the Arc Vector even more, as the electric motorcycle comes with its stylish jacket (which is also tech-laden) as well as a sturdy helmet.

The Vector features patented front-end geometry, carbon fibre swingarms, custom Öhlins dampers and Brembo Stylema brake system. Arc’s philosophy has manifested itself in its first product, the Vector – replacing the traditional chassis with the battery facilitates its range and performance figures.

Lovers of classic motorcycles will appreciate that, while the Arc Vector has neither clutch nor gears, it does have variable power modes and cruise control that owners can manipulate. It has a sophisticated chassis and impressive shocks, making this bike a pleasure to ride. 

Then there is the Lightning LS-218. A machine built specifically for speed, the e-bike has a top speed of 215 mph (346 kmph). It can also accelerate from 0-60 mph (0-100 kmph) in 2.2 seconds. Since 2011, this bike has been breaking speed records set by all-electric motorcycles. The Lightning SuperBike became the world’s fastest production electric motorcycle with the SCTA official World Record of 215.960 mph and a best-timed run of 218.637 mph at Bonneville during Speedweek August.

Although these manufacturers are yet to be placed in the same league as the mainstream giants of the automotive industry, there can be no doubt that these are tough competitors who will give the big names a run for their money. When electric vehicles become a common sight, these companies are expected to the forerunners in the luxury segment.

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