Greetings and welcome back to the InsightEV Weekender. Here, I like to focus on things beyond what we covered during the week.
I didn’t show up for the last two weeks because there was nothing much to chirp about. Also, I have been busy editing a fairly big report that InsightEV is publishing by the end of this month. The report landscapes the global gig industry across the 80 most highly populated geographies across the globe and forecasts how many of these food delivery riders/motorcycle taxi operators would move to electric two-wheelers. There is a mind-boggling number that we forecast as practically achievable sales over the next five years.
My biggest worry: There is a pot of gold on the horizon, but is the industry ready to take it?
One Degree of Separation…
Have you ever pondered that there is only one degree of separation between vision, hallucination, and raving schizophrenia? Any electric two-wheeler company founder looks at himself as a visionary, but it is easy to slip into category 2 or 3.
But then this is the learning phase of the industry. Everything should be at least forgiven, and at best, forgotten.
Which brings me to the next question – when is the best time to resurrect a two-wheeler brand going bankrupt today?
I think the sweet spot ranges between a few hours of filing for bankruptcy to a few days.
Anything longer and the resurrection becomes challenging.
And no, I am not a fan of resurrecting old two-wheeler brands to milk their heritage. If you do it after decades, the udders are dry. Ask Classic Legends in India, which has resurrected Jawa, BSA, and Yezdi brands, without the sales needle moving much. Europe is full of these once heritage, now Chinese-owned brands, all with the same template – single cylinder, heritage styling, moderate everything, low price, please buy. They don’t move the sales needle either.
Everyone struggles. The business case would not have changed if, instead of a heritage brand, the Chinese had created a new brand called X Æ A-Xii.
Which brings me to the question – is it better to save an electric two-wheeler brand or just start a new one? The Chinese are the only ones making money as of now, and they don’t care much for brands.
This week, though, we did talk about saving brands.
InsightEV – Global Electric Mobility
India E2W: Market Declines; Ola Struggles; Ather Thrives
The July numbers for India indicate that Ather and Hero-Vida have strong growth momentum, TVS still managed to stay the leader, with Bajaj trailing. Ola is third for now, but its decline is alarming; the only brand in the top five to report a decline in sales.
As an aside, does India have the best automotive data reporting system in the world?
Ather Improves Key Measurables
Continuing with Ather, the India-based scooter manufacturer reported an 87% year-over-year jump in revenues for Q1 FY 2026. With the startup nearly doubling sales, margins improved.
What Makes Positive Special?
Developing a performance electric motorcycle is special, but things just hit a higher pitch when any startup takes the test-track path to performance testing. We saw that with Positive, and we love the seriousness with which they have approached motorcycle development.
Groms in the American Future
The minibike is a hot property. Defined by the Honda Grom, the best-selling 125cc motorcycle in the US, the form factor has caught the electric world’s imagination.
InsightEV – Global Electric Mobility
That’s a wrap for today. This newsletter will be back next Sunday. The posts on the website are more frequent. This is your editor, and you may view my LinkedIn profile here.