Europeans colonized the world long ago, and their cultural influence still reverberates. In the automotive sense, the continent is the hotspot of automotive design and chassis engineering. But something is amiss lately. China's rise is making Europe irrelevant.
Yesterday, India-based Ultraviolette revealed two upcoming products - Tesseract and Shockwave - and drew a roadmap for its intended future lineup. We see not just the new products, but also a startup willing to embark on a new business strategy, bits and pieces of which make us uncomfortable.
There are not too many publicly traded E2W and electric light mobility players. The ones that are have mostly been struggling. We last checked their health eight months back. Now, we check on them again and realize that things have taken a downturn for the worse.
At yesterday's court hearing, KTM creditors have accepted a restructuring plan proposed by the board. As part of the plan, nearly EUR 548m would be received by the creditors by end-May. India-based Bajaj Auto is bringing some of the money but there remains a larger investor yet to be named.
The company's overall revenue were down amidst slowly increasing battery swapping revenues getting pulverised by steadily declining scooter sales. A worsening product mix and an enhanced focus on commercial energy storage opportunities were some key takeaways from the annual results.
The Europe-focused Swappable Batteries Motorcycle Consortium (SBMC) was formed in September 2021 by Honda, Yamaha, KTM, and Piaggio. However, little has moved three years later, and the two Japanese founders have left. Is there a future for SBMC (and battery-swapping consortiums in general)?
Marketing is critical for technology creation. Without taking new tech to the masses, one cannot continue creating. Pathbreaking innovations - from Damon's hyper-optimized monocoques to Verge's Donut motor- often take time to reach the mass level. That limits their impact.
Late-entrant Honda shows no urgency in its India E2W play. Its Go-To-Market is linked with its battery-swapping network rollout. The problem is that three years after the start of the pilot, the Honda e-swap has reached only 1% of the population. Are they serious about India's E2W market?
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 in a global E2W market that is yet to mature to create space for small players.
Pierer Mobility AG (KTM) has filed for judicial restructuring, a step away from bankruptcy. Sales is slow, marketshare is down, and they are sitting at manhy months of inventory. In the bigger picture, it indicates how fragile the European two-wheeler industry is.
On the face of it, Royal Enfield, the India-based British heritage ICE brand, should be the last brand to do an electric motorcycle. Yet, here they are with the Flying Flea, and electric motorcycles seem important to them. It is a need, not a luxury
Gogoro plunged into a crisis due to the Taiwanese government's enquiry into its claimed local sourcing of motor controllers on the Viva model. The Founder-CEO has resigned...
As ICE motorcycles embrace electronics, sensors, and rider-aids, it is becoming easier for new riders to handle speed. The various automatic transmissions entering the market further dumb down motorcycles. The motorcycling world may not realise but they are taking ICE closer to EVs
Often, in the haste to go electric, we force-fit electric mobility to the ecosystem. However, it should be the other way around, and the ecosystem should dictate the suitability of electric mobility. Once we do things the right way, Africa emerges as an unexpected shining star for E2Ws
The incumbents are reluctant and everyone else is not getting anywhere with large lifestyle electric motorcycles? What makes the equation so impossible? Is it just technology challenges compounded by half-hearted efforts or are we trying to force fit things before the core technology matures?
Vmoto reports a 32.5% dip in vehicle sales in FY 2024 and a 15.2% revenue decline. This was a year of major restructuring and expansion at the company as they head to an ASX delisting. However, the notice from a minority shareholder is a significant concern.
Vmoto reports a 32.5% dip in vehicle sales in FY 2024 and a 15.2% revenue decline. This was a year of major restructuring and expansion at the company as they head to an ASX delisting. However, the notice from a minority shareholder is a significant concern.
A net income of USD 32.5 million took us by surprise, considering that this is a company that is not yet making any significant revenue, if at all. In the end, the financial statement reveals less and hides more.
The company's overall revenue were down amidst slowly increasing battery swapping revenues getting pulverised by steadily declining scooter sales. A worsening product mix and an enhanced focus on commercial energy storage opportunities were some key takeaways from the annual results.
Data released by ACEM indicates that the penetration of electric two-wheelers declined for the first time since 2019.
Zapp Electric, the UK-based, Thailand-manufactured, Nasdaq-listed manufacturer of the i300 super-scooter, has finally started turning revenue as it starts sales in Thailand and the UK. Global markets will follow soon.
At yesterday's court hearing, KTM creditors have accepted a restructuring plan proposed by the board. As part of the plan, nearly EUR 548m would be received by the creditors by end-May. India-based Bajaj Auto is bringing some of the money but there remains a larger investor yet to be named.
The E2W startup scene in Indonesia is slow, with penetration levels still at <2%. Most volumes are cornered by traders who import Chinese IP, cheap scooters. However, we saw plenty of startup action at the Indonesia International Motor Show (IIMS)
In August 2022, Honda announced it would set up a solid-state battery pilot line in Japan. The aim was to study solid-state batteries and ensure the brand was ready with the technology and production in time for the competition. The pilot line has now started production.
Livewire started with a bang with its operations out of Silicon Valley. Harley has its back. However, the solid financial backing, a tech-heavy platform, and heavy spending have not translated into sales numbers. It just had another bad quarter and is now pulling back from Silicon Valley
This may not be significant for the company. In the short term, there is very little cash that they get access to. However, the listing makes them more attractive to new investors and may eventually get the HyperSport into production.
Financials stay depressed, though we have a clean chit on the Taiwanese government's charges against the company that had led to Horace Luke resigning. Now, a bigger problem is on the horizon - the Nasdaq listing may not be maintained.
We look at the important electric launches from EICMA, an event where Honda finally showed seriousness to electric mobility and came with a mid-size electric sports motorcycle and some scooters. Also, unveilings from Zero, Silence, Can-Am, Kymco and many more.
Are EVs loaded with features that are really smart? Do they create a high-enough barrier to entry? Is there an exclusivity? How long can it stay? What happens after that?
Often what the E2W world calls technology is a smart integration of sensors and rider aids, controlled by software. The ICE world is more mechanical, more metallurgical, more fundamental. What happens when the ICE world figures out software? Can the E2W Technology edge be maintained?
What is common between Cake, Arcimoto, Arc, and Fuell? They created products that were special. Maybe too special as sales never took off. At times, passionate manufacturers go too deep into their product passion and take their eyes off the reason why the product has to be created - the customer.
Electric traction and large lifestyle motorcycles don't play well together. The tech hasn't reached the point yet. So, it was unsurprising that Energica filed for bankruptcy last week. It's not the first and would not be the last electric lifestyle brand to do so.
With Ola Electric now publicly traded and Ather Energy soon to follow, Indian E2W startups are raising funds with urgency. The two-wheeler market is divided amongst less than 10 major brands, and the country has space for more high-quality E2W manufacturers.
Ather Energy, another electric two-wheeler manufacturer, files for an IPO. Ather follows Ola Electric which had hit the Indian bourses in August 2024. These are not small SPACs; these are multi-billion market cap IPOs
Vmoto has been an impressive and intriguing company. On the one hand, they have the broadest and most impressive range of products; on the other hand, they have disappointing sales volumes. The situation has been dismal over the last two years. Is it a long-term vulnerability?
