Electric cars have had the lion’s share of attention during the EV revolution. But in some parts of the world, other modes of personal transportation are dominant. In India, it’s motorbikes, which is why thehas struck a chord. I talked to Abhishek Reddy Kankanala, the owner of Indian racing team Inde, about what the series means for decarbonizing his country’s transport.
“Despite having about 300 million bikes, India doesn't have a racing team for bikes,” says Kankanala. “I am on a mission to create more opportunities in India for sport, beyond cricket, volleyball, and badminton. When I noticed that 300 million bikes didn't have a team of their own to cheer when Moto GP came to India, I thought we need to change the narrative.”Rather than build a Moto GP team, however, Kankanala wanted to help drive his country forward. “The future is electric,” he says.
This is where E-Xplorer comes in for promoting electrified motorcycles. “The series emphasizes the cool factor of a bike,” says Kankanala. “There's always this conflict between electric and regular bikes being cooler because you grew up with them. But in India when they see something more valuable, they jump onto it. Cellphones are a good example. It didn't take a long time for cellphones to take off in India, because the value shift was there.
Similarly, Kankanala sees the series as not just promoting electric bike use in India, but also as a vehicle to promote local manufacturing. “We're going to hold E-Xplorer’s first race in India at the end of November that will improve awareness,” he says. “We're also going to be tying up with a lot of local manufacturers for this event, who will not only have a platform to exhibit their products, but also a platform where they can develop technology.
India represents a huge potential market for electric motorbike sales, but there’s a big opportunity for local industry as well.