It’s been a real journey for Royal Enfield over the past decade or so. It’s not so long ago that it was producing and selling bikes which had barely changed in six decades. But now it’s got a solid line-up of modern petrol-powered machinery – and is working on its own electric bike. The firm showed off the Him-E – a battery-powered prototype adventure machine, aimed at developing the technology required for future zero-emissions bikes. The testbed has some interesting tech, including using the battery housing as a main structural part of the chassis and bodywork using organic flax materials. There’s no word on performance, range, weight or anything else, suggesting a project that’s quite early on in development.
But Mario Alvisi, chief growth officer – EV at Royal Enfield, reckons there’s much more to come. “We saw this as an opportunity to create something unique and to inspire future generations. What began as a capability exercise for our teams, is now an electric adventure motorcycle we are very proud of; a new expression of our love for adventure and the mountains. The Him-E testbed is much more than a design concept. For us, this is our vision and a glimpse of what to expect from us in the future. There is a much larger electric mobility blueprint that is being brought alive at Royal Enfield.”