INDIAN Motorcycles could be about to take the plunge into the electric motorcycle world after the firm patents the EFTR trademark.
The trademark has been made on multiple continents including the US, Europe, and Australia, with the name to be used for “Electric motorcycles and structural parts therefor.”.
While the trademark gives no other clues as to what the bike would be, it’s likely that the machine will be an all-electric version of the firm's successful FTR1200 flat track-inspired naked motorcycle.
Other than the name and possible styling of the bike, we can only guess as to how the new machine would shape up, although some of Polaris (Indian’s parent company) other brands could point to the design of the bike.
This is the Empulse TT that could lend battery, motor and controller tech to the Indian
Polaris also own Empulse, who in 2015 unveiled their TT electric naked. While an all-new electric motorcycle from Indian is an exciting prospect, it’s highly likely that the EFTR will borrow heavily from its sibling company’s knowledge and tech already gained in the electric motorcycle arena.
If indeed that is the case, the new machine could have a 10 kWh lithium-ion battery which could have a recharge time of fewer than 4 hours. The Empulse TT can reach speeds of over 100mph and produces peak power of 54 HP and peak torque of 61 FT-LBS. That said, the hardware of the Empulse TT will be over five years old at the time the EFTR hits the road, and electric motorcycles have come a long way since then.
The main rival to the Indian will be the Harley-Davidson LiveWire. It was warmly received by the press although punters found the price hard to swallow
Could the Indian EFTR challenge the Harley-Davidson LiveWire?
The one bike that Indian will have in its crosshairs is the all-electric Harley-Davidson LiveWire. Currently, Harley's LiveWire is one of the benchmark products in the electric sector. It’s also one of the only commercially available machines built by a company that until now solely built petrol-powered motorcycles.
Indian will be very keen to match the on-road performance and spec of the Livewire, although they are probably looking to undercut their American rival on the LiveWire’s biggest stumbling block – its price.
