With the constant rise in fuel prices and the growing awareness regarding environment conservation, the electric revolution in India is slowly but gradually taking off in India. In the past few years, we have witnessed many homegrown manufacturers foraying into the electric segment. Bajaj and TVS have already marked their entry in the EV business.
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On the other hand, Chennai-based Royal Enfield too has realized that electric is the future and RE’s CEO has confirmed that they are giving it a serious thought. A Royal Enfield without any thump? Is this happening for real?
Vinod Dasari, Chief Executive Officer, Royal Enfield, while speaking to Moneycontrol, said, “Electric is something we have been thinking about for quite some time. We are trying to figure out exactly which segment is the right segment for us. Electric is something we take very seriously.” Dasari added that it is no longer a question of ‘if’ there will be electric vehicles; it is, he explained, in fact about ‘when’ these electric vehicles will arrive. He even went on to claim that the company has created prototypes and has been considering various segments already.
It is also being reported that RE has even formed a dedicated team to analyse market demands and trends in order to target the final emission-free products at the right customer base. There’s no specific timeline and the details regarding the battery architecture, charging infrastructure, drivetrain and various other electric vehicle-related bits are still vague at the moment. But there’s one thing which can be expected and that is, the RE electric will not sway far from the retro styling. Swapping an electric powertrain is going to mark a crucial change in RE’s approach towards motorcycles and they wouldn’t want the customers to feel less familiar with the electric motorcycle.
Royal Enfield Photon
If it does transform into a reality, it would bring a radical makeover to RE’s current portfolio. Not only Royal Enfield but its prime rival, Jawa too is considering to enter the EV market. Come 2022, we will see retro-styled electric cruisers running on our streets, making no noise for a change. The Royal Enfield Photon gave us a little insight into what we can expect from an electric Royal Enfield. It is essentially a Bullet that’s been stripped of its petrol engine as well as drivetrain, and instead, gets a huge battery and a hub-mounted electric motor. It has been developed by Royal Enfield in partnership with UK-based EV manufacturing company ‘Electric Classic Car’. Electric Classic Cars are known for electrifying high-end cars, like those from Porsche and Maserati.
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The Royal Enfield Bullet Photon is powered by a Newton-based Electric Classic Cars battery which produces a maximum power of 15.6 bhp. The exact torque figure is yet to be disclosed but it is suggested that a similar 14Kw hub motor claims to crank out some heavy twist. Royal Enfield claims the range to be around 128 km and it’ll do a top speed of 112 km/h.