Exclusive: Barrel Motors Veloc-E ADV e-bike to get bigger battery, more power

Bengaluru-based start-up Barrel Motors is bringing India’s first electric adventure motorcycle - Veloc-E. The manufacturer’s homegrown offering is currently under development and the first images of the same were released earlier this year. Now, HT Auto can exclusively bring you more information on the Veloc-E adventure e-bike, which will get more power and a bigger battery than originally planned.

Barrel Motors is making upgrades to the Veloc-E, which now be available with a number of battery and motor options to cater to different requirements. The company is not only looking at private buyers but also plans to cater to defence requirements with dedicated versions designed for military requirements.

Giridhar Soundararajan, MD and CEO, Barrel Motors told HT Auto that the Veloc-E will soon get a bigger 7.5 kWh battery pack, in addition to the 5 kWh battery pack originally announced. The bigger battery is expected to improve range from the originally claimed 150 km on a single charge. The bigger battery will be necessary though with the addition of a bigger electric motor in place as well up to 15 kW (20 bhp). This will be a big step-up from the originally planned 5 kW (6.7 bhp) motor. However, both versions are likely to co-exist in the future. Torque figures will also see a bump but have not been revealed yet.

The Veloc-E will be available with battery sizes ranging from 5 kWh to 7.5 kWh, motor sizes will vary between 5 kW and 15 kW

Barrel Motors is in the process of filing four to six patents for its dual-sport electric motorcycle platform. The Veloc-E electric adventure motorcycle will be the first derivative based on this platform with more to follow in the future. The start-up previously announced plans to bring adventure touring and even long-distance touring versions based on the same chassis.

The Veloc-E proof of concept was showcased earlier this year but the model is still some time away from its market launch. Barrel Motors is eyeing the third or fourth quarter of 2024 to enter production and promises a completely homegrown offering with over 90 per cent of components locally sourced including the battery packs and BMS controllers. The battery cells will be imported by the start-up. In the meantime, development will continue on the electric ADV.

Barrel says it has received over 500 registrations on its website for the Veloc-E electric ADV. Prices though will only be available closer to the launch. The upcoming offering will be placed between the Hero XPulse 200 4V and the KTM 390 Duke in the adventure motorcycle segment.