Electric Two-wheelers Showcased At The Previous Auto Expos

Here’s a detailed look at the electric two-wheelers that kept the social media abuzz

They say the future is electric and it certainly seems like that considering a new electric two-wheeler is launched almost every other week. Now, with the 2020 Auto Expo around the corner, we can expect some more exciting models coming our way. However, we wind the clock back to a few years to see what bike makers brought with them to surprise us at the previous Auto Expos:

Hero Duet E:

At the 2016 Auto Expo, Hero didn’t come up with a crazy electric two-wheeler, instead, it showcased an electric version of the Duet called the, err, Duet E. Underneath the familiar looking body was a 5kW BLDC motor and the same set of underpinnings as the petrol-powered model. Hero claimed the Duet E can cover 65km in a single charge and can do 0-60kmph in 6.5 seconds. Although the Duet E looked almost production-ready, we never saw or heard anything from Hero about it rolling out from the production line. Now that Bajaj has entered the segment with the Chetak, we might see other prominent bike makers joining the bandwagon. 

Emflux One:

The Emflux One is possibly the most talked-about electric two-wheeler in this list. Touted as the first all-electric superbike, the Emflux One was unveiled at the previous Auto Expo. So what’s so ‘super’ about this? Well, the manufacturer claims that the One can go from 0-100kmph in 3 seconds and it has a top speed of 200kmph. Powering the One is a liquid-cooled AC induction motor capable of delivering 68PS of power and 84Nm of torque. And that’s the amount of power you’ll get once you twist the throttle. 

Emflux had also announced that the electric superbike has a range of whopping 200km. In terms of underpinnings, it gets USD fork at the front and a gas-charged monoshock at the rear. However, the electric bike maker had also announced that it will offer Ohlins suspension setup (front and rear) as an optional extra! Braking is taken care of by Brembo-powered 300mm dual-disc brakes up front and a single 220mm disc brake at the rear. For now, there’s no word from the company on the official launch of the One, but stay tuned to BikeDekho for more updates. 

UM Renegade Thor:

We already know that UM has shut its India operations due to several reasons including poor sales. But, for the time being, we will keep that aside and focus on the most exciting bike that was showcased at the UM Motorcycles stall at the previous Auto Expo - the Renegade Thor. The electric cruiser was priced at Rs 9.9 lakh (ex-showroom) and UM was planning to sell it in India. 

The Thor was available in three options: 27kWh, 15kWh and 7.5kWh. UM Motorcycles claimed the Thor had a top speed of 180kmph and could be charged from 0 to 80 per cent in just 40 minutes. There were some other mind-boggling claims as well, which you can read here. If everything would have panned out according to UM’s plans, the Thor could have been the first electric motorcycle to go on sale in India. 

Honda PCX electric:

Honda had showcased a line of products at the 2018 Auto Expo, but, amongst all the petrol-powered two-wheelers, there was one electric scooter that stood out! Yes, we are talking about the PCX. At the time of unveiling, Honda didn’t reveal much about the PCX. The only bit of information it shared was that it was equipped with a 4.2kW motor, detachable batteries, a digital instrument cluster and the customary LED lighting setup. Honda isn’t planning to bring this scooter in India, which is a good thing because its claimed range is a wee bit over 40km. 

22Motors Flow:

While most of the two-wheelers in this list are either concepts or haven’t made it to production, the 22Motors (now 22Kymco) Flow is the only electric two-wheeler, which was ‘launched’ at the Auto Expo. However, due to some reason, the company had to push the delivery dates and then re-launch the product in collaboration with Taiwan-based Kymco. Now called the iFlow, the electric scooter is priced at Rs 90,000 and gets all the features you would expect from an electric scooter such as LED lights, a digital instrument cluster and Bluetooth connectivity. What’s interesting is that the iFlow was powered by two swappable batteries, which weigh just 5kg and can be fully charged in an hour! 

Vespa Electrica:

The Vespa Electrica has been on sale in the international market for quite some time now. However, it was the previous Auto Expo where we first got the taste of an electric Vespa. The Electrica is positioned as a premium electric scooter in the US and the EU, which explains its $7,500 price tag. However, its performance is very similar to a 50cc scooter and Vespa claims it has a top speed of 30kmph! But if you want an electric scooter which looks like a Vespa, is premium and offers more range and performance then you always have the Bajaj Chetak, which is likely to go on sale next month.