Yamaha’s Plans; Livewire’s S2 Alpinsta; UBCO is Gone

Last Thursday, we looked at Yamaha and tried to make sense of what the second most important Japanese brand is doing. While Honda is for everyone, Yamaha has always been exciting and maintains some nuances of exclusivity. The company lives by its product ethos; we expect the same when it starts making electric motorcycles. Not much is happening for now, and Yamaha is biding its time. But what is exciting is its investments in River and EM, two start-ups that are poles apart but yet somehow find resonance with Yamaha.

Yamaha’s Blueprint for Electric – InsightEV

The Japanese have been distracted in the EV game even though they know the customer the most. In Yamaha's case, the investment arm has seen more action than than the OEM. Where are they headed to?

InsightEV – Global Electric Mobility

From there, we moved to Livewire, which has launched the S2 Alpinsta, the third model on the S2 platform. The Alpinsta is only slightly different from the other two and only USD 500 lower than the Del Mar. With such hairline differentiation, the S2 Alpinsta would create little additional sales volume.

S2 Alpinsta: Would it salvage Livewire? – InsightEV

Livewire has further added to the S2 range with a third model. The S2 Alpinsta, the 'cheapest' Livewire, further builds on the S2 platform

InsightEV – Global Electric Mobility

Then, yesterday, we received news that UBCO is filing for receivership. The New Zealand-based startup had been making very unique 2×2 motorcycles. However, sales have been slow and mostly came from fleet buyers. A funding round was needed, but private capital has slowed down for EVs.

UBCO’s receivership makes us ponder yet again and realize that passionate founders are often not what this industry needs. They create products while operating in their echo chambers, oblivious to the world outside. The product-market match leaves so much to desire.

UBCO goes into receivership – InsightEV

UBCO was unique, and so was the two-wheel-drive motorcycle that they made. The receivership is a stark reminder of the perils of going too niche.

InsightEV – Global Electric Mobility

Last Friday, the Bharat Mobility Global Expo started in New Delhi. This is India’s biggest automotive show; we were there on Day 1. Over the next few days, we will have several pieces of analysis looking at the announcements from the Expo and the impact they would have on the electric urban mobility market in India and beyond. Today, we looked at Suzuki, which launched its first-ever electric scooter globally in the Indian market at the Expo.

Suzuki Launches eAccess Scooter in India – InsightEV

Suzuki surprised everyone by introducing e-Access to the Indian market. The company's first electric two-wheeler is a commuter scooter with a fixed LFP battery.

InsightEV – Global Electric Mobility

The scooter is a mixed bag and quite disappointing on paper, but it would be wrong to draw any inferences before the prices are revealed. The best thing about the Suzuki e-Access is that it hits the roads three months from now.

With that, it’s a wrap for today. We will be back with the regular weekly newsletter on Thursday and then every Thursday.