🏍️ Betting on E-bikes

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Motorcycle startup Raptee hopes its electric bike will become popular in the EV adoption race.

What’s it about? Raptee, the electric motorcycle startup from founders Dinesh Arjun, Keerthivasan Ravi, Karthik A, and Phunith V, is betting on its electric bike to enter the EV market. Given how crowded the EV market is, 70% of the ICE two-wheeler market is in motorcycles.

  • The company wants to position itself as an upgrade from someone looking to buy a Bajaj Pulsar initially. A couple of years later, it’ll be an upgrade from a Hero Splendor.
  • With the ARAI grant, the company is moving to the two-wheeler industry from low-voltage to high-voltage architecture. They’ve brought in talent like Royal Enfield veteran Jayapradeep V as Chief Business Officer.

The journey and future: The company was incorporated in 2019. Since then, it has received two grants. One from the ARAI for ₹20 lakhs for vehicle control units and more recently ₹3.27 crore for a high-voltage motor control drivetrain. In July 2021, the company raised $700,000 from investors. By the year-end, the company will scale up to 230 people and 1,500 in phase 2.

(Image credits: Raptee’s Twitter post)

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