Revolt RV400: first look

The Revolt RV400 has just broken cover and is being christened as India's first AI-enabled, all-electric motorcycle. Quite a thing that, no? The bike looks conventional, which is something that enthusiasts like you and me would appreciate. While Revolt is yet to announce prices for the RV400, the manufacturer, the latest to join an increasing list of electric-only two-wheeler manufacturers, announced that it will start accepting bookings for the RV400 next week. So come June 25 and residents of Delhi will be able to book the RV400 for just Rs 1,000, either on Revolt's own website or on the Amazon India website. Bookings will be opened over the course of the next four months in other cities like the NCR (National Capital Region), Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Nagpur, Ahmedabad and Chennai.

The Revolt RV400 has been styled to look like a conventional motorcycle and looks like a small capacity streetbike

Expectedly, the RV400 has created quite a stir with enthusiasts and prospective buyers, as also other two-wheeler manufacturers. So what is all the buzz about? First things first, while other electric motorcycle manufacturers may have started accepting bookings before Revolt, the RV400 will be going on sale next month, in July 2019, which will make it the first all-electric motorcycle on sale in the country. That's reason enough to create some buzz, innit? The bike is a naked motorcycle designed to look like a conventional, petrol-engine powered streetbike, though it is very compact in size and is comparable to 110-125cc motorcycles as far as physical dimensions go. The bike has been styled aggressively, with the intention of breaking the stereotype that EVs are meant to look uninteresting.

The Revolt RV400 uses a bolt-on rear subframe along with a box-type swingarm. Its alloy wheels are shod with MRF Zapper tyres

Interestingly, the RV400 is suspended on a set of upside down forks at the front and a monoshock at the rear, hinting at Revolt's intent to offer a motorcycle that handles well. The bike runs on eight-spoke alloy wheels shod with 90/90 R17 (front) and 120/80 R17 (rear) MRF Zapper tyres. Revolt is yet to reveal technical details but the bike showcased to the media confirms that the RV400 uses a bolt-on rear subframe along with what appears to be a box-section, aluminium swingarm. More importantly, it uses discs brakes at both ends though intriguingly ABS has been given a miss, for now at least. The RV400 uses a final belt drive, to reduce part wear, keep overall weight in check as also reduce power losses. There's regenerative braking as well, to aid battery charging.

As is the case with almost all electric two-wheelers, the Revolt RV400 uses a final belt drive

The headlight on the Revolt RV400 is an all-LED unit and integrates a projector beam as well

Lights all round are full-LED units, including the headlight which integrates a projector beam, as also the tail light and turn indicators. The instrument cluster is a monochrome LCD display and integrates a large speedometer readout along with smaller ones for the battery charge status, tripmeter, odometer, riding mode indicator and ambient temperature. What would have been a tachometer on a conventional motorcycle is a readout for the bike's power consumption in Amperes and functions pretty much like a tachometer itself. The instrument cluster also integrates tell-tale lights at the bottom such as high beam, turn indicators, parking light on and a low battery indicator. There's a 'power' switch positioned between the err… fuel tank and handlebar to turn the ignition on, while the handlebar lock is the old school type, positioned below the lower triple clamp and not on the handlebar. Switchgear on the right side integrates a toggle switch for riding modes and you can choose from three levels, which understandably alter the power being sent to the rear wheel.

A toggle switch on the right side handlebar of the Revolt RV400 lets you choose from three power modes, above which is positioned a switch that lets you turn the bike's 'sound' on or off

Above the toggle switch is a two-way switch to turn the bike's sound on or off! Yes, the RV400 is programmed to sound like a petrol-engined motorcycle and you can even change the sound to suit your liking, from the dedicated phone app! The app is in fact your gateway to a whole lot of functions. It lets you look up the location of your bike, get real time information about the battery's charge status, riding mode and estimated range, order fully-charged batteries (more on the removable battery later), find the nearest battery swap station, swap batteries at a station, check your swap history, start or stop the bike via Bluetooth, check trip details like start and stop location, average speed, total distance travelled and time taken as well.

The instrument cluster on the Revolt RV400 is a digital monochrome display and integrates a lot of information. Also, notice the 'power' button below the handlebar

Heck, you can also preview different sounds on your phone before activating them or change the volume of the sound! The app also gives diagnostic information, lets you check range in different riding modes and upload documents like your driving license and RC copy. You can also use the app for payments for the battery and charging, apart from sharing your bike's location or set up a geo-fence to prevent thefts. More importantly, the app offers battery removal, low charge and geo-fence breach notifications and will also provide over the air ECU updates. That is a lot of functionality and needless to say, a lot of these are features unheard of and segment firsts. The Revolt app is available for iOS and Android devices both, while the motorcycle uses an IOT (Internet of Things) device onboard with an embedded 4G SIM card for full-time connectivity.

The Revolt RV400 uses a portable battery than can either be charged directly on the motorcycle itself, or removed to carry away and charge individually, or be swapped for a fresh, fully-charged battery pack at swapping stations that are being set up at various locations

The app and the bike together study the rider's riding style and tailor the experience accordingly. The battery is a portable one that can either be charged while in the bike itself or can be removed to carry home and for charging individually, with a full charge taking four hours. The Revolt RV400 the first electric two-wheeler in the country to get an ARAI certification and boasts a certified range of 156km. You can also pre-order charged batteries off the app which can be delivered to your location. The RV400 will be manufactured at Revolt's production facility in Manesar near Gurugram which boasts a capacity of 1,20,000 units in its first phase. With so much technology packed into it, the Revolt RV400 sounds like a very interesting prospect. The bike will go on sale next month, in July, which is also when technical specifications will be revealed. With that said, we are keenly looking forward to riding the motorcycle and bringing you our impressions, so stay tuned!

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