The Orxa Mantis e-bike has launched at Rs 3.6 lakh, and it’s available in a single variant. At this price, it does not qualify for the FAME 2 subsidy, however, the price includes a standard 1.3kW charger.
Although there aren’t many electric motorcycles on the market right now, the Mantis is comparable to the Ultraviolette F77 base model (Rs 3.8 lakh) in terms of pricing and performance. It is powered by a mid-mounted motor that generates 28 horsepower and 93 Nm, which is sufficient for a stated top speed of 135 kph and a claimed 0-100 kph time of 8.9 seconds. More intriguingly, though, is that this is India’s first electric two-wheeler with a liquid-cooled motor. Liquid cooling, according to Orxa, has helped with packing and made the motor small—it weighs only 11.5 kg.
The motorcycle weighs 182kg, which is definitely on the higher side for a sub-30hp street bike, but it’s still a good deal lighter than the 197kg Ultraviolette. And that’s despite it the larger 8.9kWh battery pack than the F77’s 7.1kWh unit – the higher Recon variant of the F77 gets a 10.3kWh battery, but that drives the price up to Rs 4.55 lakh. Despite being lighter and less powerful than the F77, and sporting a significantly larger battery pack, the Mantis offers only slightly higher range 14km more range than the Ultraviolette, at 221km (IDC).
As far as charging goes, Orxa is offering a 1.3kW charger as standard, or a faster 3.3kW Blitz charger at additional cost, though they haven’t revealed how much more it would cost. Both chargers come with the option of being mounted on the wall at your residence, or coming to you as portable units. Orxa also has luggage accessories planned for the bike – side panniers (30 litres), and a top box (45 litres) that can accommodate the portable charger. Prices for these will be revealed closer to deliveries.
Speaking of which, deliveries are still some time away – slated to begin only in April 2024 – with Bengaluru being the first and other cities following suit later. Bookings for the Mantis are now open for Rs 10,000 for the first 1000 customers, after which it will rise to Rs 25,000.