Revolt Motors reduces battery warranty of RV400 electric motorcycle, hikes prices: Here are the details- Technology News, Firstpost

Amaan AhmedNov 24, 2021 13:22:48 IST

India’s first all-electric motorcycle, the Revolt RV400, garnered attention at launch not just for being the first of its kind in the country, but also for its surprisingly extensive battery warranty. When it was introduced in 2019, the RV400 came with a rather comprehensive battery warranty of eight years or 1,50,000 kilometres (whichever comes first), but that is no longer the case, as Revolt Motors has slashed the warranty on the RV400’s 3.24 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, and has also hiked the price of the motorcycle.

The battery warranty for the Revolt RV400 has now been reduced to six years and 1,00,000 kilometres (whichever comes first), a reduction of two years and 50,000 kilometres. Despite the reduction, Revolt’s warranty coverage is still more comprehensive than that of other electric two-wheeler manufacturers, with even prominent players such as Ola Electric and Ather Energy only offering a three-year warranty on the batteries of their scooters.

The RV400 is also considerably more expensive than before. Up until a few months ago, the ex-showroom price of the RV400 was Rs 1.07 lakh, and even dipped to under Rs 1 lakh in certain locations thanks to the FAME-II subsidy revision and announcement of state-specific subsidies for electric two-wheelers. However, Revolt has now hiked the ex-showroom price of the RV400 by up to Rs 18,000, so it now costs Rs 1.25 lakh in all locations except Mumbai, where it’s priced at Rs 1.26 lakh. As a result, in states with no buyer-side subsidies on offer, the Revolt RV400 now costs over Rs 1.40 lakh (on-road).

What’s worth noting is that the higher price is applicable even to those customers who booked the motorcycle before the hike was introduced and are yet to take delivery, with Revolt Motors communicating to such customers that the hike is because of ‘a sudden & significant increase in the raw material cost’ and that the company will not be able to deliver bikes at ‘the price prevailing at the time of booking’.

When contacted by Tech2, Revolt Motors declined to comment on the reason behind the reduction in the RV400’s battery warranty.

In October, the electric two-wheeler manufacturer confirmed it will go from selling the RV400 electric motorcycle in just six cities – Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Chennai – since its launch in 2019 to 70 cities in the coming months, covering 26 states and union territories in India. Revolt recently opened its 15th outlet in the country, in Vishakhapatnam.

Revolt also plans to launch the RV1 early in 2022, a new entry-level electric motorcycle that will replace the Revolt RV300.