‘Premium motorcycles in India ready to go electric’

 New Delhi: Makers of premium motorcycles in the over-250cc segment have the architecture ready to go electric, but availability of infrastructure, especially charging facilities, remained a big bottleneck, Ashish Singh Joshi, CEO of Jawa Yezdi Motorcycles, said on Thursday.

India eyes 100 per cent electrification of two and three-wheelers by 2030. While there has been notable expansion in the electric scooter and e-bikes segment, it has still not made any significant headway in the premium motorcycle segment.

The government initiatives like FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles) scheme and tax exemptions to EV manufacturers have played a key role in boosting adoption of electric two-wheelers.

Joshi underlined that the infrastructure requirements for scooters or entry-level motorcycles and premium motorcycles of over 250cc segment is quite different. The average usage of a scooter in India is 50 to 60 kms per day. Such electric scooters can be charged at home or at the office.

However, premium bikes are used for long distance inter-city travel. So, a home or office-based charging facility won’t be sufficient.

“From an architectural point of view I don’t see any reason why we could not do it...As soon as people start getting infrastructure there (on highways), yes, electric motorcycles of our kind become a reality,” Joshi said.

“As India moves along on the infrastructure side we will take a call on when we want to bring in our electric products. Infrastructure is very much needed,” he added.  

Jawa Yezdi is the newest entrant in India’s premium motorcycles segment. The company started its operation in 2018. “We have 2 lakh plus motorcycles on the road,” said Joshi.

The company has come out with a new model named ‘Jawa 350’. It is powered by a potent 334cc liquid-cooled engine. It is priced at Rs 2.15 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).