Varun Aggarwal Electric bikes are going beyond the concept stage and are all set to hit Indian roads this year. But what sets apart electric bike start-up Menza is its focus on creating an entire electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem rather than just selling a bike.

Ahmedabad-based Menza Motors unveiled its Menza Lucat, a fully-custom electric bike, at the Auto Expo here on Thursday. But before launching it in different cities, it is electrifying the cities with charging infrastructure to make the bikes more practical for regular use.

The bike will be able to charge using any wall socket. The EV company has already set up several charging stations along the Delhi-Agra highway and plans to electrify nine other national highways as well.

The bike offers a range of 100 km in city conditions and 150 km on highways.

“Our next target is to electrify the Guwahati-Shillong highway. But we’ll also have an average of two chargers per 10 sq km in every city where we launch our bikes,” the company’s 24-year-old CEO Rahul Gonsalves told BusinessLine.

The bike will cost anywhere between ₹2.80 lakh and ₹3.35 lakh based on the chosen customisation options. The company is also giving an option to buy the bike without the battery and lease it instead. In that case, the bike will cost ₹1.77 lakh along with a ₹3,800 rental charge for the battery.

“Lucat is the first factory-customised motorcycle, which is built as per the rider’s requirements and riding style. We have 112 customisation options for our customers,” Gonsalves said.

The current version of the bike has a top speed of 121 kmph but with a special track package, which can be enabled through a software upgrade which lasts only 24 hours, the bike can go beyond 130-140 kmph. Menza is also giving an option to buy a track-only bike which will be lighter and faster.

Menza plans to launch three more models in the next one year. However, deliveries for its first bike Lucat will begin in August this year. Bookings will start next week onward.

“We plan to set up an entire ecosystem for electric motorcycles within the country, which would include the product and the easy availability of charging stations along with creating a community of Menza motorcycle riders in the near future,” Gonsalves said.

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