The Orxa Mantis electric bike has been launched at Rs 3.6 lakh (ex-showroom, Bengaluru), and it's available in a single variant. At this price, it does not qualify for the FAME 2 subsidy, however, the price includes a standard 1.3kW charger.
- 20.5kW, 93Nm liquid-cooled motor
- 8.9kWh battery pack, 221km IDC-claimed range
- Rivals the Ultraviolette F77
The electric motorcycle space is still a little sparse at the moment, but the Mantis' price and performance figures place it in the same ballpark as the base variant of the Ultraviolette F77 (Rs 3.8 lakh). Powering it is a mid-mounted motor producing 28hp and 93Nm, and these figures are good enough for a claimed top speed of 135kph and a claimed 0-100kph time of 8.9 seconds. But, more interestingly, this is the first liquid-cooled motor on an electric two-wheeler in India. Orxa says that it has used liquid cooling to aid packaging and make the motor compact – it only weighs 11.5kg.
The motorcycle weighs 182kg, which is definitely on the higher side for a sub-30hp street bike, but it's still a good deal lighter than the 197kg Ultraviolette. And that's despite it the larger 8.9kWh battery pack than the F77's 7.1kWh unit – the higher Recon variant of the F77 gets a 10.3kWh battery, but that drives the price up to Rs 4.55 lakh. Despite being lighter and less powerful than the F77, and sporting a significantly larger battery pack, the Mantis offers only slightly higher range 14km more range than the Ultraviolette, at 221km (IDC).
As far as charging goes, Orxa is offering a 1.3kW charger as standard, or a faster 3.3kW Blitz charger at additional cost, though they haven't revealed how much more it would cost. Both chargers come with the option of being mounted on the wall at your residence, or coming to you as portable units. Orxa also has luggage accessories planned for the bike – side panniers (30 litres), and a top box (45 litres) that can accommodate the portable charger. Prices for these will be revealed closer to deliveries.
Speaking of which, deliveries are still some time away – slated to begin only in April 2024 – with Bengaluru being the first and other cities following suit later. Bookings for the Mantis are now open for Rs 10,000 for the first 1000 customers, after which it will rise to Rs 25,000.
As mentioned, the Mantis' most direct rival is the Ultraviolette F77, but when comparing it to petrol motorcycles, it packs in similar power and performance figures to something like a KTM 250 Duke, while being priced similar to the 2023 KTM 390 Adventure.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
