Indian electric mobility startup Ultraviolette is one you’ve probably already heard of, especially if you’ve seen all the stuff we’ve written about them in the past. It’s just one of many electric motorcycle brands to emerge from India, but it seems to be one of the most promising, as it’s one of the few that has managed to expand outside of India, and into Europe.
In October last year, Ultraviolette made some big progress in its global expansion initiatives. It managed to secure certification for the F77, the company’s flagship electric motorcycle. And though it set a rather ambitious price tag for the new model (think close to the $11,000 USD mark), the company remains bullish on its quest for European domination.
As it would turn out, another Indian company is playing quite a role in UV’s European expansion, and it’s none other than TVS. Thanks in large part to TVS’ industry expertise, funding, and established reputation in the motorcycle industry, Ultraviolette is eyeing key markets like Germany, Italy, Spain, France, and Turkey—countries that are pretty big on motorcycles, and have been driving innovation in the electric motorcycle segment, too.
Ultraviolette CTO and co-founder Niraj Rajmohan recently spoke to the Indian automotive publication AutoCar Pro regarding the company's expansion in Europe. According to Rajmohan, Europe is a strong strategic starting point for UV’s global expansion because of its strong motorcycling culture. “For us, the starting point is Europe as motorcycling is part of European culture and it is an inherently European thing. We have got our vehicles homologated in these markets," he said.
As for the bike itself, well, the F77 just has to be the coolest-looking electric motorcycle to come out of any Indian manufacturer. And judging from the various user reviews scattered all over the interwebs, it seems to be a rather decent bit of kit, with riders in India managing to cover quite a lot of distance on the thing, all while soaking up India’s harsh road conditions, unpredictable weather, and crazy traffic. Heck, this thing managed to prove its own against some of the most popular entry-level sportbikes in the market. Check out the video below:
So yeah, it seems Ultraviolette actually has a good product to back up its claims, and it’s more than likely that the F77 will be put to the test once European operations pick up steam. And as for what’s next for Ultraviolette, well, the fact that the F77 has been homologated for on-road use in Europe means it’ll be easy to adapt it for use in pretty much any country. And it’s more than likely, assuming things go well over in Europe, that UV will make its way to markets in Asia and even North America.
That being said, we’ll very much be waiting for this bike to make it stateside (or to the Philippines where I’m from) so we can finally get our hands on it and take it for a ride.
Sources: AutoCar Pro, Ultraviolette
