In line with announcements from other electric two-wheeler (E2W) manufacturers, electric motorcycle start-up Tork Motors has announced a price hike for its maiden offering, the Tork Kratos R. With subsidies for E2Ws under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME-II) scheme slashed by a big margin, Tork has had to increase the price of the Kratos R to Rs 1.87 lakh (ex-showroom, including revised FAME-II subsidy). This is an increase of a little over Rs 19,000 in the bike’s price, but the hike will likely push the Kratos R’s on-road cost to over Rs 2 lakh in locations with no state incentives on offer.
Also Read: Matter Aera Electric Motorcycle Prices Hiked By Rs 30,000 As FAME-II Subsidy Drops
The heavy industries ministry has capped incentives at 15 per cent of an E2W’s ex-factory price and revised the subsidy to Rs 10,000 per kWh of battery capacity. So now, the maximum FAME-II incentive the Kratos R – which previously qualified for a total FAME-II subsidy of Rs 60,000 – is eligible for, is Rs 22,500; a reduction of Rs 37,500. Having lowered the ex-showroom price of the bike to Rs 2.10 lakh (down from Rs 2.28 lakh previously), Tork has been able to limit the increase in price to a little over Rs 19,000.
Also Read: FAME-II Subsidy For Electric Two-Wheelers Slashed; EV Players React
Tork launched the Kratos R early in 2022.
Tork launched the Kratos early in 2022, in two variants – standard and R. However, the start-up only manufactured the higher-spec R variant, and now only lists the R on sale. The base model, which, at launch was priced at Rs 1.32 lakh, had similar specifications, but missed out on a few features, and had a slightly lower motor output and lower top speed. Tork was building the Kratos at a small facility of its own, which limited production and availability of the bike.
Also Read: Auto Expo 2023: New Tork Kratos X And Updated Kratos R Introduced
However, in March 2023, Tork transferred production of the Kratos to majority stakeholder Bharat Forge’s plant in Chakan, under a contract manufacturing arrangement. The new plant has a production capacity of 60,000 units a year, which can be scaled up to 1 lakh units a year. So far, just under 800 Tork motorcycles have been registered nationwide as per VAHAN data, but Tork is understood to be gearing up to ramp up production and roll out the bike in more cities. At present, the Kratos is available for purchase in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Maharashtra, Bihar and Gujarat, and Tork will soon make it available in Rajasthan as well.
Also Read: Tork Kratos R First Ride Review
The start-up showcased the refreshed Kratos R (left) and upgraded Kratos X at Auto Expo 2023.
The Kratos R features a 4 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, and has real-world range figures of 120 km in Eco mode, 100 km in City mode and 70 km in Sport mode. Using the charger bundled with the motorcycle, charging it to 100 per cent will take between four to five hours. Tork recently added a fast-charging port to the Kratos R, which can help the bike regain up to 80 per cent charge inside an hour. Notably, the design of the Kratos R’s fast-charging port mirrors that of the Ola S1 and Simple One electric scooters.
At the heart of the Kratos is an axial flux permanent magnet motor (which features forced air cooling and has a claimed efficiency of 96 per cent), with a continuous output of 6 bhp and peak outputs of 12 bhp and 38 Nm of torque. The Kratos R can complete the 0-40 kph sprint in a claimed 3.5 seconds, and has a top speed of 105 kph.
The Kratos R has little in the way of competition, with the only other electric motorcycle currently on sale being the Revolt RV400. It will soon face a challenge from the Matter Aera, which, too, witnessed a significant price hike of Rs 30,000, putting the top 5000+ variant (priced at Rs 1.84 lakh) within striking distance of the Tork. The differentiator for the Aera will be its manual transmission, a first for an E2W in India.
