Electrifying Motorcycles

The two-wheeler electric vehicle segment has gathered significant traction in recent years. Thanks to factors such as subsidies, higher fuel prices and the general transition towards green mobility, penetration levels which are inching toward the double-digit mark.

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Legacy players and new companies have already crowded 85-90 per cent of electric scooter registrations. Bengaluru-based Ultraviolette took a contrarian bet by venturing into the electric motorcycle segment.

Spotting the gap
Ultraviolette was conceived in 2016 by Narayan Subramaniam and Niraj Rajmohan. Backed by a spectrum of global investors, including Lingotto, TDK Ventures, Qualcomm Ventures, Zoho Corporation, TVS Motor and Speciale Invest, the company was the first Indian electric motorcycle manufacturer to secure European certification. It took about 8 years to commercialise the first product which was launched in 2024. “Eight years back, we noticed that in cities, people were either moving toward scooters or aspirational motorcycles (150 cc and above category). And that is where we positioned ourselves, points out Niraj Rajmohan, Chief Technology Officer and Co-founder of the company.  While many companies entered the electric scooters space, there was a vacuum in the similar motorcycle space that Ultraviolette rightly spotted.

Betting on the export Market
The price range starts from Rs 2.49 lakh and around 5000 vehicles have been sold with key models being X-47 and F-77. The recent spike in fuel prices has increased demand for electric two-wheelers, creating a market for electric motorcycles too. “The aspirational class of motorcycles (ICE engine) accounts for 2 lakh motorcycle sales per month in India. And that is by no means small,” says Niraj. For Ultraviolette, the opportunity also lies in attracting these customers. The company is also betting on exports. Having secured certifications in 40 countries, it already exports to 19 markets across western Europe and is preparing pilot launches in Latin America and South east Asia. Exports started in August 2025 and contributed 10 per cent of FY26 revenue. It is expected to grow fivefold this year. “Our products are standardised for global markets and engineered to perform in the most demanding road conditions,” says Niraj.

Ultraviolette recently ventured into the scooter segment. The company currently operates a pilot manufacturing facility in Bengaluru with an annual production capacity of 30,000 units. It plans to expand its overall capacity to 5 lakh units by FY29 and is hunting for newer locations and holding talks with various state governments.

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