EV maker Ultraviolette to set up motorcycle facility in Bengaluru

Ultraviolette Automotive's electric motorcycle F77.

Electric two-wheeler maker Ultraviolette Automotive Pvt Ltd on September 8 announced a manufacturing facility near Bengaluru's Electronics City. The firm will start the production of its high-performance electric motorcycle the F77 in the first quarter of 2022 and the first batch will be in the market in March 2022.

The manufacturing and assembling facility is spread over 70,000 square feet and will manufacture 15,000 electric motorcycles in the first year, and the capacity will be scaled up to 120,000 units annually.

"This is an important milestone for us in our journey towards building a superior EV experience for India and International markets. We chose this location given its strategic proximity to our R&D facility in Bengaluru as well as a strong supply-chain ecosystem in and around the region," Ultraviolette CEO Narayan Subramaniam said.

The decision comes at a time when India is aggressively pushing for electric vehicles, with the government offering incentives for switching to EVs to cut its fuel bill as well as meet climate goals.

The firm will also provide job opportunities to local communities within the region and over five years train over 500 employees on manufacturing and assembling EVs.

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"We have received an overwhelming response for the F77 and this facility will help us cater to that demand over the next few years. Most importantly, the F77 has been designed and built indigenously and over 90 percent of the vehicle including the battery packs, will be manufactured using locally sourced components," Subramaniam said.

Built with principles used in the aviation industry, the F77 is a high-tech, high-performance motorcycle and has an acceleration of 0-60 in 2.9 seconds. It has a top speed of 140 kmph and a range of 150 km on a single charge.

Ultraviolette has received over 40,000 booking interests for the F77 from customers in India and international markets. The firm will begin pre-orders for the motorcycle later this year.

The F77 comes with remote diagnostics over-the-air upgrades, regenerative braking, multiple ride modes, bike tracking and ride diagnostics, the firm said.

"Our new production unit is a state-of-the-art facility that will be equipped with smart technologies and industry 4.0 solutions,” Ultraviolette CTO Niraj Rajmohan said.

All processes within the unit would be driven by data to ensure seamless integration across the entire manufacturing lifecycle, he said.

The company would follow sustainable manufacturing practices such as using renewable sources of energy, and recycling of e-waste to for a clean environment, Rajmohan said.