Well, here we go again: Royal Enfield’s big boss has once more told us we will see the company making an electric motorcycle in the months to come.
Who’s heard that one before? But seriously, for reals, it’s coming soon. So says managing director Siddartha Lal as he chatted up India’s moto-press in the wake of parent company Eicher Motors’ first-quarter financials.
Eicher made a lot of money in 2023’s first quarter (its highest-ever quarterly revenue). Royal Enfield’s sales of 225,368 bikes over Q1 this year were a major part of that boom; in 2022, Royal Enfield sold 186,032 bikes over that same time period, so things are looking up. That led to questions from India’s business and moto journos: What does the future hold for RE? Will the retro-minded brand keep on making gasoline-powered machines and spin off a separate EV brand, like Harley-Davidson has done?
According to the head honcho, that’s not what’s happening. The plan at this point is to build an electric motorcycle and sell it under the Royal Enfield name. And apparently, testing is actually underway right now, with R&D running prototypes through their paces, getting ready for a launch a couple of years away.
Or, so says Siddartha Lal—but we’ve heard similar talk before. Even before COVID-19 smashed the world economy, there was constant talk of a Royal Enfield electric bike being just a few months away from release. So what’s the hold-up? Is Royal Enfield itself incapable of building a decent EV? Probably not, judging by the turnaround time they’ve shown on other products. Instead, it is more likely that EV tech itself is still not where it needs to be (other motorcycle OEMs have said this), and Royal Enfield is waiting for improved battery tech or other developments before it goes all-in on EVs.
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