Tork Motors Introduces new ‘Urban’ Trim For Its Kratos R Electric Motorcycle

This trim mainly keeps features essential for city commuting, while cutting back on some others

Tork Motors, the electric motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Pune, has launched a new variant of its Kratos R e-Motorcycle. Called the 'Urban' trim, this variant is priced at Rs 1.67 lakh ( ex-showroom Pune), effectively reducing the cost by Rs 20,000 compared to the standard Kratos R.

Tork's cost-saving strategy involves selectively trimming certain features to position the Kratos R Urban as an e-Motorcycle focussed at urban commuting. For that, its Eco & Sports riding modes and even the Reverse mode have been cut, and it now offers only a 'City' mode, which restricts top speed to 70kmph while offering a real-world range of 100km. In comparison, the standard Kraos R can hit a top speed of 105kmph in Sports mode, while its Eco mode promises a real-world range of 120km (IDC-rated range for the Kratos R is 180km).

The Urban trim excludes various software features such as In-app navigation, Vehicle Locator, Anti-theft & Geo-Fencing capabilities, Motor Walk Assist, Crash Alert functionality, Live Dash integration via Bluetooth, and Ride Analytics. Additionally, the scope of over-the-air (OTA) updates has been confined to critical updates only. When buyers purchase the Urban trim of the Kratos R, all these features will be accessible for a span of 30 days. At the end of this period though, these features will be deactivated. However, buyers can choose the option to reactivate these features at a cost of Rs 20,000 within a six-month period. If buyers choose not to reactivate these features within that period, they will remain disabled.

Hardware wise, nothing has changed on the Urban trim of the Kratos R. So it’s still powered by Tork's patented 'Axial Flux' motor, delivering a peak power of 9kW and 38Nm of torque. Similarly, the battery capacity remains unchanged at 4.0kWh. The core hardware elements, such as the 17-inch wheels, disc brakes at both ends with CBS, telescopic front fork, and rear monoshock suspension, remain unchanged. Similarly, the kerb weight is still 140kg.

In light of the substantial reduction in the FAME II subsidy recently, manufacturers of electric two-wheelers have been coming up with different strategies to reduce initial purchase prices of their offerings, with the goal of attracting more potential buyers.