Bengaluru-based Ultraviolette Automotive held an exclusive test ride of the upcoming F77 performance electric motorcycle in the production-ready avatar. The test ride was conducted exclusively with the pilot community to celebrate India's 75th year of independence. The bikes were showcased at the Taneja Aerospace & Aviation Ltd (TAAL) airstrip in Tamil Nadu in a bid to showcase the bike's capabilities. Ultraviolette says the F77's design has been inspired by fighter jets. So the airstrip is the perfect place to kick-start test rides ahead of the commercial launch later this year. Ultraviolette will begin public test rides by early September this year. The start-up says it has received over 65,000 pre-orders from across 190 countries with India, the US, and Europe contributing significant numbers.
Ultraviolette co-founders Narayan Subramaniam and Niraj Rajmohan with the pilot community at TAAL airstrip
Speaking about beginning test rides, Narayan Subramaniam, Co-founder and CEO - Ultraviolette, said, "Today is a momentous occasion and marks a significant milestone for us at Ultraviolette, as we roll out our very first external test ride with an elite group of experienced pilots from India's aviation community. The core philosophy of aviation engineering revolves around the fact that every single part within an aircraft should serve a functional purpose and must be engineered for 100 % accuracy and safety. This has been our north star and guiding principle right from Day 1 when we set out to build the F77. Over the last few years, we have spent endless hours perfecting the F77 across all aspects of design, vehicle engineering, performance, safety, and user experience. The feedback that we have received from this test ride has been overwhelming and we couldn't be happier that we had the opportunity to interact and learn from a community that we have been deeply inspired by."
Niraj Rajmohan, Co-Founder and CTO - Ultraviolette, said, " The F77 is a motorcycle like no other, carving out a niche identity for not only Ultraviolette but what 'electric' could stand for. Our design and engineering process has always focused on keeping the rider/consumer as our utmost priority. We have spent the last two years paying attention to the minutest details and creating a product that is futuristic and truly global, in line with our aviation DNA. We are thrilled that we could provide a platform for the pilot community to experience the production-ready version of the F77."
The F77 packs a BLDC motor with 33 bhp and 90 Nm of peak torque. 0-60 kmph comes up in 2.8 seconds
Ultraviolette said the one-day event allowed the pilot community to experience the F77 across multiple parameters including acceleration, torque, handling, braking, cornering and the real-time connected platform. The F77 has been upgraded since it was first showcased in 2019. In a recent conversation with carandbike, Narayan Subramaniam explained that the company used downtime during the pandemic to improve the motorcycle. This includes switching to 21700 format battery cells, better heat management in the battery pack, and improved range of up to 200 km on a single charge, up from about 150 km earlier.
Talking about the test ride, Sanjay Misra, a pilot with 34 years of fighter and commercial jet flying experience stated, "The F77 feels like a fighter jet equivalent of a motorcycle. This was my first experience with an electric bike and it was truly fascinating. It exceeds expectations across all parameters in a motorcycle - be it acceleration, handling, braking, design, or build quality. There has been a lot of thought and consideration that has gone into the bike in terms of design and technology. Kudos to the team at Ultraviolette who have designed and manufactured the F77 and it makes me immensely proud that we have a product like this coming out of India."
Customer test rides will begin by early September while the launch is likely to take place in the last quarter of the year
In terms of power, the Ultraviolette F77 uses a BLDC motor tuned for 33 bhp at 2,250 rpm and 90 Nm of peak torque. 0-60 kmph comes up in a claimed 2.8 seconds while 0-100 kmph takes 7.5 seconds. The top speed is rated at 147 kmph. Hardware on the e-bike includes adjustable USD front forks, an adjustable rear monoshock, 320 mm front and 230 mm rear disc brakes with dual-channel ABS. The bike gets a 50:50 weight distribution.
