Polaris Industriesis working on an electric motorcycle model planned to be released in 4 to 5 years under the Indian brand name.
It’s the second time the company works on an electric 2-wheeler, the first one being the Victory Empulse built using the Brammo electric vehicle technology. Brammo has previously used electric motorcycle racing to both accelerate product development and to showcase its EV technology.
But until now, limited riding range, size of battery modules and production cost have slowed the manufacturing and marketing of electric motorcycles. The company’s new electric Indian is expected to cover 120 to 140 miles on a single charge if driven aggressively, compared with 75 miles for the current Empulse bike.
“The characteristics of the new powertrain are going to be more applicable to be able to ride a bike for pleasure and in twisties, and kind of how you would use today a pleasure bikes” says Polaris President Of Motorcycles Steve Menneto. Harley-Davidson electric LiveWire model tested and presented in limited edition in 2014 is rumored to be mass produced and launched in 2020 or sooner. Expect a race between the 2 big American manufacturers to be the 1st one to succeed in the potentially big market EV category.
These people are real putzes. So I guess they will just throw a tarp over the current electric motorcycle (produced by Polaris roadkill and former brand Victory), and in 4 yours pull the dusty cover off, slap and Indian badge on it, and Voila!
And it will be priced at 29,999.
dammit i’m trying to get excited about this
at this point in time, work on the charge density of the storage medium rather than jumping on the me too bandwagon of electric motorcycles. corporate crock.
Four years to improve the batteries, and you’ll get…
An Empulse with skirts.
Nice to see that not all of the Polaris R&D department was retired along with VIctory.
waste of money
..can you really trust the people i charge at Polaris? They have sacrificed their first born child already; if you trust them not to throw in the towel before the next 5 years goes by (leaving Indian loyalists high and dry too) you are way braver than I. Polaris (in any form/name) will NEVER see another dime from this once bitten twice shy guy.
Just so long as they don’t put a big ugly radiator in the front like the Scout
I’d be surprised if Indian was still operating in four or five years…….just saying
Getting an electric bike is like getting an electric BBQ. Yes, it can be done, but why? As long as they don’t outlaw internal combustion engines, I see no great demand.
Chaosmike hit the nail on the head. Indian is on death row an the Governor isn’t calling.
Heads up Polaris/Indian. Everyone is afraid to buy your motorcycles after you left Victory owners holding the bag. I know they can get parts and service for 10 years blah blah blah . You know what I mean, you made their motorcycles worthless as trade ins or resales and many guys depend on this as a down payment for their next purchase. You better get very innovative very quickly. Like make a retro 500 and 750 that is both affordable and pleasing to the eve not to mention fast and good handling.Last but not least the die hard Indian fans are still waiting for the modern inline 4 that sits the right way in the frame. Liquid cooling is expected, a well hidden cooling system is demanded. While the Thunder stroke 111 is a powerful and great sounding engine, most of us can’t get by the faux flathead valve covers north of 20K. I am an old man who owns 9 motorcycles and doesn’t need any more. Just the kind of guy that spends 25 K on a new bike just because and I don’t have not one friend that is planning to buy an Indian. They were all very excited about Polaris buying the name and we liked the direction they seemed to be going with the idea of the Scout and now the flat track race bike. So you guys are doing many things very close to right. I just don’t want to see Indian go belly up again. Robert, please listen before it is too late!!!
DON’T TRUST POLARIS, as jedi says they sacrificed their first born child, Victory….
After losing about $100 million over 30 years, I can’t disagree with dropping Victory, although it does hurt dealers and loyal customers of the brand. But that’s burning up a lot of cash without any profit to show for it, not a good way to run a public company and be even reasonably responsive to their stockholders. You could criticize some of their execution along the way but a lot of companies would have cut the cord long before. But, spending money and time over the next five years on an electric motorcycle? I agree with Coma and Hillbilly Jim. What’s the point other than to show you can? There’s no real demand and after all is said and done you still have a motorcycle that’s only good for short day rides at best. The resources, money and R&D need to be spent on flushing out the direction that was started by the Scout. Indian needs to continue going lighter, more responsive and less expensive with more tech features. No one needs another iteration of the Chief at $25-30k. The Scout has an incredible racing heritage and the FTR 750 represents one very cool direction for the future. Polaris has built a decent business of going head to head with HD but they’ll never beat them at their own game. But an end run with bikes HD has never been really good at could totally upset the American motorcycling industry, not to mention giving Indian a real foothold with the millenniums or whatever you call them, up and coming new generation of riders for whom big cruisers are just not relevant.
A friend of mine bought one of their four wheel ATVs I think you call it and was just plane discouraged at the fit finish and warranty service when it wouldn’t start ,
and this guy is ex military loyal to America to a fault but he says never again with Polaris they treated him so badly
Hillbilly- If you are speaking to Robert Pandya- former VP at Polaris/Indian……..he posted on here not long ago that he no longer works there
They are just starting this now? lol
What a joke. This is why brands fail, they have the inability to see the future from a long way off. Innovation will always lead any given field except the motorcycle industry because people fail to see change as a good thing. I mean people only buy an Indian for the name, since the late 50’s the brand only has a history of failed attempts. Indian needs to start PROVING itself, Harley needs to start actual designing for the future and not just for a cash grab and the grey haired crowd. And why the heck are new motorcycles so under/over engineered and massive? Can anyone design a cool looking bike that is well build and doesn’t require a PHD to maintain or make you feel as though you are driving a mini van on two wheels?
Polaris, read Hillbilly Jim’s blog a few more times. I’m an old man too who owns an Indian. I fully agree with him. If Indian can bring the Indian 4 back right, I see a real threat to Harley and one setting in my garage.
I always thought my first EV would be a motorcycle. If Indian checks all the boxes I’ll buy one.
No one wants an electric motorcycle. No one.
Well, if not “no one” then certainly not enough to make a business out of it or a viable segment. Total waste of time and just a publicity grab at this point to even mention it. If that’s all that Indian has to talk about for the future, they’re in big trouble (and I’m a big fan and owner). The future seems pretty clearly not heavy, expensive cruisers, but lighter, great handling lighter motorcycles that made the Scout the legend that it is. Whether those are variations of the Scout or the new FTR 750, I don’t know, but it definitely is not another Chief.
What Chief Waldo said. peace
WGAF….
The kid’s first bike, an Indian 250 Arrow. Gets him into the Indian mindset. He moves up to the 500 Warrior. Next is the 750 street Scout. He then moves through the whole line up and before he dies, he will be riding the new Indian 4.
Felix has it right. That or a version of it, is the progression to Indian’s success longer term. This heavier (and heavier) cruiser thing is a lot of “been there, done that.” Time to move on. Hope Polaris sees this.
Hey they had to do something with the electric motorcycle company they bought!