Creating a Royal buzz

Spy shots reveal Royal Enfield’s urban battery bike in final tests

WORLD EXCLUSIVE

Spied roaming the streets of Barcelona

While it’s no secret that Royal Enfield have been working on electric machines for some time, this exclusive spy shot indicates the firm’s first battery-powered bike is nearing a production-ready state.

This image, taken earlier this month, appears to show a late-stage prototype being ridden on the streets of Barcelona – by none other than Siddhartha Lal, MD & CEO of Eicher Motors. It comes hot on the heels of a design registration by Enfield’s parent company, Eicher, in India showing a retro-futuristic electric bike (MCN, September 18).

Although Royal Enfield have tested and teased EVs with the likes of an electric Himalayan-style adventure bike, their first offering is set to be a city slicker reminiscent in its appearance of the WD/RE125 ‘Flying Flea’ that played a huge part in the Second World War effort.

With a relatively small stature, the new Enfield looks to be aiming for range, performance and weight figures in the realms of current small electric machinery. So, somewhere between 60 and 100 miles of range, a top speed allowing it to be ridden outside the confines of a city centre, and a quick charge time, especially as it’s rumoured the battery will be fixed rather than removable for off-bike charging.

In reality, this bike is built to be a stylish commuter, easy to ride, and accessible on an A1 licence.

From the spy shot, it’s clear to see a reasonably low seat height along with a neutral riding position, complemented by a retro-style appearance from the curved ‘tank’, girder forks, the chunky mirrors, indicators and the single round headlight. There is also a set of pillion pegs visible in the image. In terms of tech, there’s a sizable round dash – a trademark on a lot of recent Enfields – alongside a bracket that could be set to house a turn ‐by‐turn navigation system.

Design cues parachuted in from the Flying Flea

Although there’s no official word yet on the price, MCN expect it to sit somewhere around the cost of the more premium EV commuters, such as Maeving’s RM1 at £4995, or MCN’s Urban Electric Bike of the Year in Maeving’s RM1S, at £7495.

This would place it significantly higher than the more budget options such as the Super Soco TC, which costs £3099, but far less than more extravagant examples, like RGNT’s £13,990 No.1 Scrambler SE. The cheapest bike in Royal Enfield’s current line-up of ICE machinery is the HNTR 350, costing £3899.

The official unveil of the model is expected on November 4, but factory insiders have told MCN the bike won’t be available until 2026.

Many similarities with Eicher’s design registration