ZigOpinion: Why An Electric Motorcycle Like Ultraviolette F77 Is Perfect For The Global Market

Ultraviolette created waves in the nascent Indian electric two-wheeler industry when it first unveiled the F77 electric bike back in November 2019. Deliveries of the electric motorcycle were supposed to commence in October 2020, but the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic delayed things. We recently caught up with the founders for an update on where it stands, and got to know that after prioritising the Indian market, Ultraviolette plans to go global by 2024. 

When you think about it, an electric motorcycle like the F77 -- packed with adequate performance, decent range, and priced at the affordable end of the spectrum -- is perfect for the developed markets where the transition to electric vehicles is happening at a more rapid pace. Allow us to explain:

Global Boom In The 300cc Segment

In recent years, several manufacturers have realised that the most ideal way for market dominance is to offer feature and performance-packed motorcycles at an affordable price point. The litre class and the middle-weight big bikes have gotten prohibitively expensive these days. Moreover, there’s been a paradigm shift in financial priorities of the youth, as many aren’t keen on investing a huge chunk of their disposable income on a depreciating asset. So, sporty-looking motorcycles that are easier on the pocket, with just about enough performance to be highway-worthy are the need of the hour. The 300cc category, in particular, ticks all the right boxes as the bikes in this segment seem to provide the right balance of excitement and approachability.

KTM teamed up with Bajaj to make the iconic 390 Duke, armed to the teeth with performance while being competitively priced. Even BMW Motorrad saw the potential in this segment, and paired up with TVS to make the affordable G 310 twins. Such alliances also helped both Bajaj and TVS to develop their own products in the same category (the Bajaj Dominar range, and the TVS Apache RR 310). 

This trend is not just restricted to the Indian or European markets. Even China, USA, and some of the South-East Asian countries have proactively jumped on this bandwagon.

Next Step Of Evolution: An EV With Performance Equivalent To The 300cc Space

Ultraviolette says that the F77 will offer performance equivalent to a typical 300cc petrol-powered motorcycle. We believe that electric motorcycles like the F77 have the potential to serve as the ideal alternative here, as they offer a considerably more affordable ownership experience. Electricity is a lot more affordable than petrol, and this coupled with inherently less moving parts in an electric motorcycle means massively reduced running costs. This can also push several youngsters to take up motorcycling. After all, who wouldn’t want an affordable, snazzy-looking two-wheeled means of personal transportation?

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It also serves as an ideal product for the environmentally conscious. You might argue: “What about the charging infrastructure that’s primarily dependent on non-renewable energy sources?” Turns out, EVs are green enough to offset a considerable amount of carbon dioxide even if it uses fossil fuel-based energy sources for charging. You can read more about it in our analysis here.

Sure, there are mainstream electric motorcycles such as the Energica Ego, the Lightning LS 218, and even the Harley-Davidson LiveWire. But in a bid to offer either “superbike” levels of performance, or regular bike levels of range, these are all a lot more expensive. So electric motorcycles like the F77, which focus on delivering performance that a majority of riders can actually use regularly and range that is just about adequate, will have a clear edge when it comes to affordability.

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That said, while these sort of electric motorcycles might work well in European countries, where distances between places are shorter, markets like the US with their long, open highways will need electric motorcycles with much longer ranges. But things are changing in favour of the EV industry, thanks to the worsening climate crisis. Last month, the United States Senate passed a USD 1 trillion infrastructure bill, out of which USD 7.5 billion has been allocated for EV charging infrastructure.

Even though Ultraviolette hasn’t launched its electric bike yet, the Bengaluru-based startup has been garnering quite a bit of attention from the international space. The company claims as many as 31,000 people from around 180 countries have expressed their interest in buying the F77 when it comes out. That said, their core focus lies only in India. Ultraviolette says once it has a good handle on things when it comes to the sales template in the first five or so cities, then it can be replicated in an exponential manner. Ultraviolette is looking at hybrid distribution models to go pan-India, in a clustered manner.

We hope the demand is healthy enough when Ultraviolette finally launches the F77, presumably by the end of this year or early next year. More importantly, the startup will need to have strong production and supply chain logistics when it plans to go global. But given where the motorcycle industry in general seems to be headed, we believe Ultraviolette seems to be on the right track.