Eicher Motors-owned Royal Enfield unveiled its electric motorcycle brand Flying Flea on Monday, January 4, 2024 and said that it plans to launch two electric models under the brand by early 2026.
Flying Flea’s first two motorcycles, the classic-styled FF-C6 and the scrambler-styled FF-S6, will be in the market by early 2026, with the first model- C6, expected next year, the company said.
“We’ve been deeply investing in R&D and infrastructure for EV over the last many years, and have built a world-class team including 200 plus engineers in India and the UK,” CEO B Govindarajan said, while unveiling the models in Milan.
Royal Enfield has committed over Rs 1,500 crore for its electric vehicle business and it has already brought on board key top management executives.
Umesh Krishnappa – as the Chief Technology Officer has been driving the development project, whereas Royal Enfield has hired ex-Ducati veteran Mario Alvisi to be a Chief Growth Officer for the electric vehicle business.
A dedicated EV unit has already been formed – which operates like a start-up and gets the desired higher time and resources from the top management.
While Royal Enfield has already acquired new land for the electric vehicle facility in Cheyyar, the first set of electric vehicles however will be coming out of its Orgadam facility – from a separate manufacturing line.
Eicher Motors has also acquired around 10% stake in Spanish high-performance electric motorcycle maker Stark Future, with plans to co-develop electric motorcycles.
It is unclear which markets Royal Enfield plans to target initially with its electric motorcycles.
Though electrification in India is being driven by two-wheelers, the electric motorcycle segment is yet to see significant traction with limited offerings from a few startups such as Revolt and Ultraviolette.
Ather Energy is developing a motorcycle platform named “Zenith,” while Ola Electric is working on a portfolio of four electric motorcycles with plans to launch its first electric motorcycle in the first half of the financial year 2026.
Hero MotoCorp is also planning a portfolio of electric motorcycles, with six models under the Vida range and four models under its alliance with Zero Motors, starting from 2025-26. Its first model is likely to be a premium model.