Revolt RV400

India’s first all-electric motorcycle is here. Does it live up to the hype?

- Abhay Verma

For years we’ve been talking about electric motorcycles and also dreading their arrival, as they sound the death knell for petrol engined ones. But there’s no two ways about the fact that the future is electric. And we now have the country’s first electric motorcycle on sale in the form of the Revolt RV400. Quite a name for an electric motorcycle, no?

Quite a looker too…

The RV400 has all the cues of a compact, sporty motorcycle. It gets a projector headlamp and LED DRLs which together make for an aggressive looking face. Heck, the RV400 even gets upside down forks and a monoshock! The ‘tank’ and side cowls add to the sporty appearance, as does the scooped seat. That said, the ultra-compact dimensions mean it is just about as large as a 100cc commuter and is better suited to smaller riders rather than ones with a large frame.

The quirks…

The ‘tank’ houses the removable battery pack. Removal of the battery is convenient but the catch is the battery’s 19kg weight. That’s not exactly light, unless you work out at a gym regularly. But Revolt is also offering a charging cable and the option of ordering a fully-charged battery through its smartphone app and getting it delivered to the location you specify. Another unique feature is the bike’s soundtrack. The RV400 has an onboard speaker which emits the sounds of conventional motorcycles when you blip the throttle and you can also change the sound through the app or mute it. The RV400 also gets three riding modes and each mode alters throttle response and top speed, which is restricted to 45kmph, 65kmph and 85kmph in modes one, two and three respectively.

The engineering…