Ever watched those cooking in nature videos on YouTube? A man skillfully prepares some meat by a flowing stream, cooking it on a wood fire in the open. It may not have the finesse of fine dining or the factory standardization of a fast food chain, but the brutal honesty, rustic nature, and bare-bones appeal have me hooked.
The thing we like about electric mobility, especially of the two-wheeled kind, is that even small manufacturers can create something stunning. It may be something very niche, but it is impressive nonetheless. This democratic nature of E2W mobility means that everyone has a fair chance in their sphere. The present is bright, with 100s of startups worldwide working on distinctively new products. At times, many of these startups are bootstrapped and have limited teams, but the products exude a sense of desirability.
Obviously, the big guys load their E2Ws with electronics, sensors, and screens. While this has attracted the younger generation, I sometimes yearn for honesty. A motorcycle needs more in-your-face than glitz.
Cue Terra Bikes. On first impression, they are a small team bootstrapping a hand-crafted motorcycle operation that has just found a capable factory in China. However, the Terra Prime is striking and ticks many boxes for us. The all-metal construction, extremely light build, and the use of primarily off-the-shelf parts make this a seemingly simple yet high-quality machine.
We sat down with promoter CEO Dylan Brown to understand his vision for Terra Bikes and where they go from here.
Actually, we know that. They go to Indiegogo, where they are starting a campaign soon. You don't want to miss the action in this long-format interview where Dylan lays bare his vision for motorcycles.
Editor
Hyundai-TVS at the Indian Expo
Last week, we were in New Delhi at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo, and the thing that stood out for us at the busy show was Hyundai's Micro Mobility Concepts. They unveiled two studio mockups - an E3W and an E4W. It's ingenious that they plan to share the platform between the two.
Most importantly, Hyundai announced a possible JV with India-based TVS Motor. They want TVS to manufacture the E3W (the E4W is still exploratory).
Editor
That's a wrap for today. This newsletter will be back next Thursday. The posts on the website are more frequent.
