Tork had the first-mover advantage in electric motorcycle segment, but couldn’t capitalize due to production delays
It was around five years back when Tork Motors had launched their T6X electric motorcycle at a starting price of Rs 1.25 lakh. It had received a decent response with around 1k bookings in a single day. However, production was delayed due to multiple reasons including financial challenges, operational issues and most recently, the Covid-19 pandemic.
There is still time for the company to catch up, as there are only a few players in this space. Some key rivals of Tork T6X include Revolt RV400, Joy e-Monster and upcoming Hop Electric motorcycle.
T6X ready for delivery
Being among the first electric two-wheeler manufacturers in the country, Tork Motors had to develop everything from scratch. The company had earlier stated that all parts (expect the battery pack) will be sourced locally.
For folks who had liked the idea of T6X, the wait could soon be over. The company’s founder Kapil Shelke is cognizant of the challenges they had to face over the years. Although the project has been delayed, it is still active. He said the time invested has allowed them to develop a best-in-class product for their customers.
In its current form, T6X has undergone major transformations. This applies to most aspects of the bike including its design, features, and performance. This had to be done, as EV technology has progressed at a fast pace over the last five years. What was relevant and even ahead of its time in 2016 is unlikely to match present-day rival offerings.
Tork T6X gets an updated chassis along with redesigned LED headlight and tail lamp. It gets updated switch cluster and a larger battery pack. Performance has been improved with increased power and torque. The company has been able to develop a pioneering axial flux motor, which is claimed to be 96% efficient. This will allow the motorcycle to extract max miles from the battery. T6X will be manufactured at the company’s new facility near Pune.
Even at the time of its launch in 2016, T6X had impressive numbers. It could travel at a top speed of 100 kmph and offered range of 100 km on a full charge. It was powered by a 6kW brushless DC motor that produced 27 Nm of peak torque.
T6X details expected soon
Detailed specs about T6X are expected to be revealed soon. It will be interesting to see how it fares against its rivals. As of now, Revolt RV400 is the most popular electric motorcycle in the country. The last batch opened for bookings in July was sold out within 10 minutes.
Revolt RV400 has maximum range of 150 km in Eco mode. Top speed is 85 kmph in Sports mode. In normal mode, top speed is 65 kmph whereas range is 100 km. Tork T6X will have to better these numbers if it wants to challenge its rivals.
Source: Bike - rushlane.com
