Tork Motors unveils India's first electric motorcycle: T6X

Amidst the hustle and bustle of one of the largest Indian start-up festivals – Techsparks 2016 – Tork Motorcycles unveiled the country's first all-electric production motorcycle T6X, in  Bangalore today.

Developed in just a year after showcasing the prototype, the T6X will be launched at a promotional pricing of Rs 1.25 lakh, and is likely to hit the markets in the April-June quarter next year.

Speaking at the unveiling, Kapil Shelke, founder and director, Tork Motors, said: "We are offering a product which has the performance of motorcycles above its segment. We are opening the pre-bookings of the T6X for customers today, and that too free of any deposits as we are looking for feedback to further improve the motorcycle before we launch it. We are setting up three Tork experience centres in Pune, Bangalore and Delhi so that prospective owners can experience the bike first-hand before they book it."

The T6X is powered by a 6KW lithium ion battery instead of a conventional internal combustion engine. The bike manages and impressive 27Nm of torque and a range of 100km in a single charge. The top speed is limited to 100kph at present and the battery is good for 80,000-100,000 kilometres, the company claims.

Tork has a currently installed capacity of 500 units per month, and is looking at initial sales target of above 5,000 units in the first year of operations.
Funded by the owners of ride sharing service Ola, Tork Motors was founded by Shelke in 2009. Before coming into mass market products, Tork proved its mettle on international circuits by finishing third at The Isle of Man TT, and has also won the world’s premier electric motorsport race series, TTXGP. 

Tork Motors has been testing its prototypes at international races from 2009-2012. Thereafter, in 2013 and 2014, the company developed two non-racing commuter prototypes and thereafter, started working on creating India’s first electric motorcycle, the T6X in 2015.

The motorcycle is yet to get ARAI approvals. However, Shelke is confident of completing all the regulatory requirements in the next two to three months.

According to company officials, battery costs constitute nearly 40 percent of the price of the T6X as it has to be sourced from abroad. Tork is yet to finalise the battery supplier for the T6X and is currently in talks with Sony, Toshiba, Samsung and Panasonic for a cost-effective solution for the T6X. The company will announce the official launch for the emission-free motorcycle based upon the initial response and the pre-bookings.

The latest update is that within 24 hours of its reveal, the T6X has received over 1,000 bookings. Stay tuned for further updates.