According to Siddhartha Lala, MD & CEO of Eicher Motors, Royal Enfield will introduce its first electric bike in India in 2025. After the company’s Q1 financial results were disclosed, Lal addressed the media and stated, “EV is very much at the core of Eicher Motors and Royal Enfield. It will be included in the (RE) and Eicher Motors fold unless something drastically changes.
Lal emphasized that although it would take two years, preparations for the launch of the company’s first EV are well underway.
Before finally expanding into a new facility, which is planned to be built at Cheyyar, the venerable bikemaker has set aside a capacity of approximately 1-1.5 lakh units for its EVs from its current manufacturing infrastructure.
Lal responds to the claim that EVs are part of the “Royal Enfield and Eicher Motors fold” by saying, “We do examine all options, we look at what others are doing, but we are not trend followers. Additionally, one must consider the primary business: Is it a dying industry? You are further diluted if you are putting your eggs in something else. There is absolutely no effort or action being made to change the fact that EV will continue to be the growth engine for Eicher Motors and Royal Enfield.
To offer a more concentrated focus on the EV sector, Eicher Motors established a specialized arm. At least 100 engineers have already joined the organization, under the direction of the CTO Umesh Krishnappa.
“The product won’t be available for sale for about 2 years,” Lal continued in the call. We are putting in a ton of effort. We still have time, so we are riding our test versions. Our goal is to completely disrupt the market; we don’t want to offer half-baked products. We are working on an entirely different paradigm for EVs; it is not about facing up against some competition. To create something truly amazing, it takes time.
