Indian manufacturer claims new battery bike has 500-km range

A manufacturer from India has put together an electric motorcycle design that it claims is good for a 500-km range.

Mankame Automotive says its new EP1 electric motorcycle prototype has more capability than any other model we know of on the market, with a 500-km range out of a liquid-cooled 18.4 kWh battery. Mankame says the bike makes 54 hp and 133 lb-ft of torque, and has a 250 km/h top speed.

It will have belt drive, a steel trellis frame, radial-mount Brembo 320 mm front brakes, fully adjustable Ohlins fork and a choice of Showa rear shock, or Ohlins shock at extra cost. ABS and traction control systems (designed in-house) will be standard.

No charge time has been listed. Curb weight is a claimed 396 lb. Mankame is aiming for a $13,000 US MSRP for the top-line model, with delivery starting in 2022 (models with wimpier specs are also available, for $8,500 or $10,000, depending which components are used—a lower price tag means less battery range).

That all sounds good, but for now, the bike is only at the design stage. Mankame is getting its figures from laboratory testing and design work, and we haven’t seen an independently-tested prototype yet. On the street, the results may prove to be different, as it’s easy to make claims of massive performance, but it’s another thing to back them up. And, even if the bike is built, it’s another thing to make it to market in serious numbers.

However, Mankame is at least taking the first steps, which is more than we see many other manufacturers doing publicly. The Indian manufacturer is currently planning to raise funds for the project through IndieGoGo, like every other proper 21st-century startup. The results will be interesting, as many tech-happy motorcycle consumers are a bit leery of crowdfunded projects, thanks to the Skully fiasco (which is supposedly working out now).

Find more details at mankamemotors.com.