Best Electric Bike In India - Revolt RV400 Or The Hero Electric AE-47?

Electric vehicles are making their way to India. The focus, however, is restricted to two categories in the consumer segment for now - one where manufacturers with no prior experience in EVs are building them. This includes electric scooters and other entry-level offerings. The other is a more premium segment wherein capable electric cars are being launched to show the superiority of EVs over IC engines.

A largely ignored segment is that of the electric motorcycles in the country. Barring one vehicle currently on sale in the category - Revolt RV400, there is no other option at present. Hero Electric now plans to change that with an upcoming electric motorcycle which is named the AE-47 and was also a part of the company¡¯s unveils at the Auto Expo 2020.

Set to be launched this year, the AE-47 will directly compete with the Revolt RV400 once it is launched. Before it does, here is a comparison of the two electric bikes based on what they promise on papers.

Don¡¯t feel like reading? Know all about the Hero Electric AE-47 electric bike in the video below.

The better one to look at

Simply put, there is not much to differentiate here between the two electric bikes. Both of them carry a sports commuter look yet the AE-47 manages to stand apart with a little retro theme to it. While the RV400¡¯s elements are more pronounced with chiselled shape for its headlights, body as well as tail-lights, the AE-47 goes for a heavily borrowed look from Honda¡¯s CB300R, prominent from its headlights with split LED DRLs as well as the tail lamp. On the unit presented at the Auto Expo, the bike surprisingly even had a rev counter which will surely not be seen at the production model.

Which one goes further?

With the current advancement in battery technology, electric bikes claim a limited range and that is true for both the bikes we have here. While the RV400 promises a range of 150 km on a single charge, the AE-47 by Hero Electric takes it a bit further to 160 km on a charge in its Eco Mode.

These numbers are backed by a 3.25 kWh lithium-ion battery on the RV400 that charges from 0 to 100% in 4.5 hours, while the 3.5 kWh powering the AE-47 claims a charging time of flat 4 hours.

Revolt RV400

What about performance?

Performance specs for both the electric bikes are backed by 4 kW electric motors. The same motors are able to deliver a top speed of 80 kmph for the RV400, while the AE-47 claims a bit more of it, i.e. 85 kmph as well as an acceleration of 0-60 kmph in 9 seconds. The performance output in both the electric bikes can be altered by selecting the optimum riding mode required while on the go.

Features

The most interesting part about electric bikes are the new-age features that they offer. Revolt Motors doubled down on this by claiming the RV400 to be India¡¯s first AI-enabled motorcycle. This further went on to offer features like geo-location, geo-fencing, remote engine start-stop through a dedicated app as well as different sounds for the bike while moving.

Other features on it include a full LED lighting with dual projectors, dual disc brakes, as well as regenerative braking.

Hero Electric AE-47

AE-47, on the other hand, offers a digital instrument cluster, dual disc brakes with combi disc, keyless access, mobile charger, walk assist as well as a reverse-assist feature. In terms of connectivity, it comes with GPS, GPRS, real time tracking, geofencing as well as a dedicated mobile app.

Price

Revolt RV400 is available only through the company¡¯s My Revolt Plan which mentions a premium of Rs 3,999 per month for a total of 3 years. That effectively brings the price of the motorcycle to Rs 1.44 lakh.

Hero Electric AE-47 is also expected to be launched around the same price point. For now, the company has not hinted at the price but if we were to guess, it would be anywhere between Rs 1.25 to Rs 1.5 lakh. So it will be interesting to see which one of the bikes are preferred once the customers get an option of both in India.