Nearly 6 years after first being announced, Tork Motors has finally launched its first electric bike, the Kratos, at Rs 1,92,499 lakh (ex-showroom, Pune). FAME-II subsidies knock a significant Rs 60,000 off this price, while currently available state subsidies result in a further Rs 24,500 reduction, making the effective ex-showroom price Rs 1,07,999 in Pune.
Tork says it will announce the Kratos in a phased manner across India, with phase 1 cities including Pune, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Delhi. In phase 2, it will target 100 cities.
The Kratos is powered by a 9kW, 38Nm permanent magmet AC motor which Tork claims is 96% efficient. This is good enough for a 0-40kph sprint in 4 seconds, and a top speed of 105kph, as per Tork. For reference something like the Revolt RV400 uses an 3kW motor, while the Ather 450X gets an 6kW motor. The Kratos gets 3 riding modes -- Eco, City and Sports, as well as a reverse mode, and the motor is mid-mounted and sends its drive to the rear wheel via a chain.
The 4kWhr li-ion battery pack is housed in an aluminium casing and has an IP67 weather protection rating. Claimed range is 173.3km under test conditions in the Indian Drive Cycle, while Tork pegs real world range at 120km, which is nearly on-par with the claimed real world range of something like the Ola S1 Pro (135km).
The battery pack is managed by a proprietary battery management system that constantly monitors its various parameters and also sends this data to the cloud for analytics. Charging options include home charging (at a rate of 25% per hour), as well as fast charging which Tork says can take the Kratos to 80% charge in less than 1 hour.
This substantial battery pack is placed in the belly of the motorcycle, and held in place by the Kratos' steel trellis frame. It is a structural member of the frame and aids overall stiffness. Suspension comprises a telescopic fork and monoshock, and the Kratos gets a disc brake at both ends, with CBS as standard. Considering the performance-oriented placement of this motorcycle, it would've been nice to see ABS on offer.
While it is offered at quite an attractive price point, the Kratos seems to be let down a little by its spec sheet. Tork's build-up had us expecting a far more performance-oriented machine, and the claimed acceleration and top speed numbers of the Kratos fail to live up to those expectations.
What do you think of the Kratos? Will it make electric two-wheelers exciting and desirable? Tell us in the comments below.
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