Indian Motorcycle biding its time on future electric model
Indian Motorcycle waiting to get ‘cost down and the range up’ before unleashing an electric bike
AFTER Indian Motorcycle filed for the trademark EFTR, the internet has been awash with rumours and hearsay regarding a future electric model from America’s oldest motorcycle manufacturer.
Then the news broke last month that Indian’s parent company, Polaris, had teamed up with Zero to make snowmobiles and ATVs. And many within the motorcycle media put two and two together – and Indian motorcycle with Zero electric power and knowhow was on the way.
Indian FTR1200 video review
Sadly, the only electric machine we’ve seen from the brand is the EFTR JR, a battery-powered children’s dirt-bike – don’t get me wrong, it looks awesome – but it’s not going to rival a LiveWire…
Indian though does have an eye on the electric future, its just biding its time for when the market is ready, and the bike can perform how it needs to.
In an interview with Yahoo! Finance, Scott Wine, Chairman, and CEO of Polaris, has confirmed that the brand will jump on the electrically powered bandwagon, just not until the timing is perfect.
In the interview, he confirms why Polaris felt Zero was the perfect partner to help the American move forward in the electric sector.
The first electric model from Indian turned out to be a bit smaller than expected!
“Zero has proven that they know how to do this. They've had the best-selling electric motorcycles in the world. And certainly, we've had discussions about motorcycles. But we see such an opportunity right now in off-road vehicles and snow. We said let's put that aside for a while.”
He went on to talk about how Polaris would pitch an electric machine, navigating its way past some of the problems that have affected its competitors.
“What our friends in Milwaukee [Harley-Davidson} experienced [with the LiveWire] is really the reason that we've stayed away from electric because we didn't see the opportunity to get the cost down and the range up and the performance level where it needed to be. And getting that triangle right, Zero's figured it out. And we're excited to partner with them.”
In the interview, Wine also gave a rough timeline as to how Polaris (and the brands within it) will join the electric race. Firstly, the company will move into the off-road electric sector, building ATVs, quads and snowmobiles with the help of Zero Motorcycles, that’s before it even considers an on-road electric motorcycle.
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
