Electric two-wheelers market in India just got a new entrant - Revolt Motorcycles. Headed by Micromax Co-Founder Rahul Sharma, the company launched three new electric motorcycle models recently. These also come as the country¡¯s first fully-electric AI-enabled motorcycles. More importantly, Revolt has managed to usher in a new model of vehicle ownership in India, one based on a subscription model.?
Two electric bike models - RV300 and RV400 were launched by Revolt in three variants at a starting price of Rs 1.1 lakh in total. The interesting part, however, is the way this price will be paid by the buyers. There is no option to buy the electric motorcycles outright. Instead, buyers will have to choose from three subscription models, one for each variant.?
Revolt is calling it MaaS (Motorcycle as a Service) model. Under the My Revolt Plan, the RV300 can be purchased for a premium of Rs 2,999 per month, while the RV400 can be bought at Rs 3,500 and Rs 4,000 per month for the base and the premium variant respectively. These effectively pan out to a total of Rs 1.1 Lakh, Rs 1.29 lakh and Rs 1.47 lakh for the variants respectively over a period of 37 months each.
The subscription based model means that the buyers will not have to pay any down payment or lease for the bikes. Just a monthly payment of the amount corresponding to the chosen bike will have to be made which will also include the insurance cover of the vehicle as confirmed to IndiaTimes by a dealership in Delhi.
Now not many auto makers offer such a subscription model for their vehicles. The closest to this is a leasing option wherein buyers pay a premium for a vehicle per month. This includes the insurance as well as the maintenance of the vehicles for the set period. Leasing, however, usually includes a down payment. Revolt Motors has removed that requirement in its plans.?
As for the electric bikes, the RV400 is the premium one with a 72V, 3.24KWh lithium-ion battery powering a 3KW electric motor. The battery is able to deliver a range of up to 180 km on the ECO mode as claimed by the company. In addition, there are two more modes - Normal and Sport which limit the top speed of the bike to 45 kmph (ECO), 65 kmph, and 85 kmph respectively.?
Revolt RV400 (Image: Revolt Motors)
Other features on the electric bike include a dual-disc setup of 240mm disc at both the front and rear, a combination braking system (CBS) and a regenerative braking system (RBS) that adds the energy lost while braking back to the battery to improve the range. The 108 kg motorcycle offers a ground clearance of 215 mm.?
In comparison, the RV300 comes with a 60V, 2.7KWh lithium-ion battery powering a 1.5KW electric motor. The range claimed by the bike is similar to the RV400 but at a lower top speed of 25 kmph, 45 kmph and 65 kmph for three modes respectively. The weight is down to 101 kg with an increased ground clearance of 225 mm. The rear brake is shortened to a 180 mm disc.?
Being India¡¯s first AI-enabled bikes, the Revolt RV range offers several connectivity features too. First off, the company unveiled a connected helmet with the bikes that comes with an inbuilt microphone as well as Google voice commands. You can literally start the bike with a command ¡®Revolt Start¡¯ right from the helmet!?
Revolt RV400 (Image: Revolt Motors)
In addition, the bikes have an embedded 4G LTE SIM for internet connectivity. This will be used for internet related functions like navigation and OTA updates. There is also a smart key which can start the bike remotely and even locate it in times of need.
Revolt is also offering an unlimited battery warranty (8 years) and claims that these batteries can last for up to 150,000 kilometres. The company will start taking the bookings for these bikes from August 29 for only Delhi and Pune buyers.