Ultraviolette F77 Gets As Much Range As Top-end Tata Tiago EV!

[UPDATE: Ultraviolette has launched the F77 in India. Full details in our launch story]

• The F77 was first introduced in November 2019, but the production was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
• The company made use of this time to make several improvements to the bike, including a new, fixed battery pack.
• Other notable changes include an updated BMS, frame and swingarm.
• Bookings to open on October 23, 2022, launch on November 24.

Bengaluru-based startup Ultraviolette made waves in the Indian EV space with the introduction of the F77 back in November 2019. However, the company’s production and launch plans got delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The boys at the startup got busy with improving the F77 with several updates, and now, Ultraviolette has revealed all the major updates in the F77 that’s scheduled to launch on November 24. Here are the highlights:

A new, bigger, fixed battery!

Range has always been a concern in wholeheartedly adopting electric bikes, and in a bid to solve this issue, Ultraviolette had to massively overhaul the lithium-ion battery pack compared to the version shown in 2019. It updated the cells from 18650 to 21700 cell type, and more importantly, the battery pack is now a massive, non-removable single unit as opposed to the removable triple pack in the previous iteration. 

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Oh, and the battery capacity has also gone up from 4.2kWh to a massive 10.5kWh. Consequently, the range has gone up from 150km to a whopping 307km (Indian Driving Cycle) claimed range in the top-spec variant! That’s almost as much as the top-end Tata Tiago EV that offers a claimed range of 315km. This will make the Ultraviolette F77 the highest-range-offering electric bike in India. The in-house developed BMS has also been perfected through 14 generations to ensure optimum performance. The company also says the battery has undergone accelerated ageing and thermal stress testing to ensure solid reliability.

Reworked motor and chassis:

Having a fixed battery minimises a lot of chassis complications. As a result, the company tweaked the frame with a spine that connects the headstock and the motor, which, in turn, acts as a load-bearing member. The electric motor with the single step-down transmission has been tuned to ensure better reliability and minimise noise levels. The swingarm has also been changed from a milled aluminium unit to a cast unit, which should help in keeping the production costs in check. We absolutely love the way the chain moves through the swingarm!

The performance is likely to remain the same. The previous-gen motor produced 25kW and churned out 90Nm at the motor, along with a claimed top speed of 147kmph. 

It continues with the inverted fork and rear monoshock setup, along with disc brakes at both ends with a radial front caliper and ABS. With a kerb weight of around 190kg, the electric bike is on the heavier side. But we hope the chassis updates will help mask the weight.

Bookings, expected price and launch details:

Ultraviolette will start pre-bookings on October 23 for Rs 10,000 on its official website. The company plans to keep the production limited to 15,000 units in the first year. Launch is scheduled to take place on November 24. Considering all the updates, the F77 will not be cheap. While the bike’s price back in 2019 was planned to be between Rs 3-3.25 lakh (on-road), expect it to cost between Rs 3.5-4 lakh (ex-showroom, without subsidies) now. For perspective, the petrol-powered KTM RC 390 costs Rs 3,16,070 (ex-showroom Delhi). Once launched, it will be the most powerful electric bike in India, and also one with the highest claimed range. 

Summing up, Ultraviolette seems to have done a solid job with all the updates, and we hope the wait will be well worth it when we get to ride the bike in a few months’ time.