Benelli’s First Electric Motorcycle Showcased

The motorcycle will target the premium electric motorcycle brands like Damon Motorcycles

Qianjiang Motorcycles-- the parent company of QJMotor and Benelli -- had a massive lineup at the 2021 Beijing Motor Show, and for the first time, showcased the group's next step: electric mobility. QJMotor already has three electric scooters and is now stepping up the game with its first electric sports bike.

The Chinese manufacturer displayed its electric bike, dubbed the QJ700D, at the auto show. Though the brand hasn’t revealed any details of the product, it will be a premium offering set to rival the American and European e-bikes. While select Asian markets will get this bike with the QJMotor label, other markets, including India, could get it as a Benelli product.

The QJMotor QJ700D features an aggressive front-end design, largely drawing inspiration from the current flagship model-- the SRK600. In fact, even the split seat and rear tyre hugger-mounted indicators are similar to its petrol-guzzling sibling. It is very likely that the electric motorcycle could be based on the same platform, allowing the brand to save on production costs.

That said, the QJ700D appears to have slightly different hardware. While the SRK600 gets dual discs up front, the electric variant gets a single disc setup. The brand could even opt for a different suspension setup.

There’s no word on the kind of motor the brand would be using. However, the group has done pretty impressive work with its electric range. The Benelli Dong, for example, uses a smaller motor and produces more torque when compared to the Ather 450X. Other products from QJMotor sport features like swappable battery tech and fast charging. The brand could be taking a similar direction with the new electric bike.

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Chinese manufacturers like Voge have upped the ante with products like the ER-10, which could make the big players sweat. It would come as no surprise if the QJ700D too could come with a mid-mounted electric motor with liquid-cooling.

All said and done, do we expect to see Benelli’s first electric motorcycle hit the Indian streets? It is unlikely to happen in the foreseeable future. The Qianjiang group has been rolling off a bunch of new motorcycles, most of which are likely to be restricted to the European and select Asian markets. For now, our only hope for a good performance electric motorcycle is the Ultraviolette F77, which has been undergoing testing for quite a while now.