Royal Enfield is set to bring forward the launch of its first electric motorcycle in an effort to capitalise on a market that is beginning to gather momentum.
The Indian manufacturer has been one of the more vocal supporters of electric mobility in recent years but had originally planned to wait until 2026 to get it onto market.
However, growth in the EV sector has prompted a change of direction in Royal Enfield’s already heaving new model schedule with a ramp up in R&D set to bring the launch forward by a year to 2025.
“Over the past 6-8 months, we have made investments in EV space in terms of creating physical infrastructure for testing of vehicles and associated preparedness,” CEO B Govindarajan told Bike Dekho.
“We have also been hiring good talent for our technology centers in India and UK. Overall, we have been intensely focusing on the EV space.”
While electric PTWs occupy only a fraction of the market in India - the world’s largest in terms of PTW sales - it is gathering momentum quickly with a series of start-up electric companies, such as Ola, Ultraviolette and Ather, quickly gaining traction.
Furthermore, with rivals Hero - which recently announced a tie-up with US electric motorcycle manufacturer Zero - also moving forward with its electric plans, Royal Enfield is following suit.
The change of priority comes as Royal Enfield continues its rapid new model offensive, which has already seen the launch of the Scram 411 and Hunter 350 this year, with the revised Continental GT and Interceptor 650 models coming up alongside with all-new Shotgun 650 and Super Meteor 650.
The manufacturer is also gearing up to reveal a new, more contemporary Himalayan built on a fresh 450 platform, which is expected to spawn its own Scram variant too.
