In a recent interview, Royal Enfield CEO Vinod K Dasari has said that it is a matter of when rather than “whether electric (mobility) will come or not”. In fact, a couple of prototype motorcycles are already under development.
The switch to electrification is something that is inevitable for the automobile industry. Particularly in the two-wheeler space, we have already seen several two-wheeler EV start-ups as well as established brands come up with electrified motorcycles and scooters which are already on sale in India. A switch to electrification will also mean that many iconic models that we have come to love and admire for so long will disappear from the market. Perhaps the firsts brand to come to your mind in such a scenario would be Royal Enfield and their inevitable future with electric motorcycles.
In an interview, Vinod K Dasari, CEO at Royal Enfield has acknowledged the importance of zero-emission mobility as far as the brand is concerned. It will almost be a paradigm shift for the homegrown manufacturer who, for the longest time has relied on selling their motorcycles with a classic and retro philosophy and certainly that old-school thump from a Royal Enfield engine that enthusiasts are so crazy about.
Incidentally, Royal Enfield is also the longest running motorcycle manufacturer in continuous production in the world. About electrification, Mr. Dasari reiterated is “something we (Royal Enfield) take very seriously”. Although he did not specifically mention about any timeline by when we could expect the first electric motorcycle from RE, but he did confirm that it is a matter of when rather than “whether electric (mobility) will come or not”.
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Royal Enfield is currently in the process of identifying the essential segments about where they can position their electric motorcycles. In fact, Royal Enfield has already built a couple of prototypes for preliminary development exercises. We believe Royal Enfield will continue with the classic-retro design philosophy with their electric motorcycles, only with a modern heart with batteries and an electric motor. Royal Enfield has even lauded the Photon, an electric conversion based on a Classic 350, and it shows the brand’s interest in electrification.
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Until now, Royal Enfield has only been operating in the middle-weight category. With their electric motorcycles however, they could venture out into newer segments and even create a niche with a first-mover advantage. There aren’t much concrete details about RE’s electrification plans but that is definitely the way going ahead. Meanwhile, Royal Enfield is also coming up with a new range of internal combustion motorcycle based on a new J-architecture and for those of you purists out there, there’s a lot to look forward to from Royal Enfield.
