Raptee HV T30 First Ride Review

[Music] Range anxiety, charging hassles, practicality, reliability and price-to-performance. Those are some of the biggest reasons many motorcycle riders hesitate to switch to electric. But a young Indian startup called Raptee HV wants to change all those things about the way people perceive electric motorcycles. This is the Raptee HV T30, the brand’s first electric motorcycle priced at Rs. 2,39,000. The T30 aims to make EV ownership smarter, simpler and practical for everyday riders. In this brief review, we’re trying to check out if this homegrown electric motorcycle has got the capability to transform the Indian motorcycle landscape with an electric bike that’s built for everyday use, entertaining performance and practicality. Does it manage to impress? That’s what we intend to find out in this first ride. But before that, if you’re new to our channel, please do consider liking the car&bike channel. Hit that bell so that you get notified every time we ride an interesting motorcycle like this. I’m Preetam, welcome to car&bike. Let’s get down to checking out the Raptee HV T30 in more detail. The Raptee HV T30 has sharp aerodynamic lines and an aggressive stance. It looks packed with performance, even at a standstill. The LED headlamp gives it that futuristic edge while the sculpted bodywork and minimalistic tail section keep things muscular yet sleek and sporty. And it’s offered in four distinct colours, Arctic White, Eclipse Black, Mercury Grey and Horizon Red, across two variants with only minor cosmetic changes. Subtle but with attitude that is certain to grab attention. So yes, that’s what the T30 looks like. It’s not really a sport bike, sport bike, neither does it intend to be a sport bike. It’s a commuter but performance in mind. So the ergonomics are quite friendly. It’s got an upright straight handlebar. So you sit upright, foot pegs mid positioned, not too rear set. And talking about ergonomics, the seat height is 790 mm. So it’s easily accessible to riders of different height. Kerb weight is 177 kg. So it’s not a very heavy bike. So anybody, you know, upgrading from a smaller bike, like a 150 cc petrol-powered motorcycle, can easily handle it in terms of the weight and in terms of the seat height. So the riding position is quite comfortable as you can see. And that’s what it looks like. What do you think of the design of the T30? You let us know in the comments. Overall, I think the design is neutral, not very flashy, not very sporty, not very plain Jane boring as well. It has got a unique identity to that end. I think it will grab some attention on the streets. The USB of the T30 is its high voltage fast charging. Plug it into a 15A home socket and you are charged from 20 to 80% in just an hour. The charger is light and compact, easy to carry and to store. But the real power move is the CCS2 fast charger, the only one on an electric two-wheeler in India. Charge it anywhere, you charge an electric car and hit 80% charge in just half an hour. And when it comes to peace of mind, Raptee’s got you covered. The T30 packs an 8 year or 80,000 km battery warranty, plus a 3 year or 30,000 km standard warranty on the bike itself. Now onto the design. The proportions and stance are on point, but look a little closer. And yeah, there’s still room for improvement in fit and finish. These are the first lot of production bikes however. And quality at some things, small small details could have been better. The clamp on the handlebar finish could have been better. The handlebar overall finish of the handlebar could have been better. The grab rail finishes also could have been better. And the paint is chipping at some points that could have been better. And panel gaps are not consistent. That could have also been improved considering these are already production models. But the management tells us that in future course, these are the first 1000 bikes that we are riding today. And in due course of time, all those feedback that we give on the first lot of motorcycles will be taken into account and they will be improved in due course of time. So there are small niggles on the Raptee HV T30, but we do hope the company will address those issues. And we have been told that the company will look into those issues specifically. Now it’s got a 7-inch TFT console. It’s built around what’s called a new OS, which is Automotive Linux Grade OS. And it has got maps. Initially on my test bike, the map function wasn’t working. The GPS wasn’t working, but it just took a few minutes to reset the OTA and it started working fine. So niggles, yes, but it works completely. It has three ride modes. You have Comfort, which is primarily for city use. You have speed limited to around 65-66 kmph. Then you have Power where you have decent enough acceleration, but range will drop there. And you have Sprint where you get the full performance. And we’ll talk about the performance in a bit, but those are the things that you get. Switch gear is quite nice and some of the functions are not functional as yet. There’s cruise control buttons here, which are not working right now. Cruise control is not offered as yet, but in due course, perhaps in the next iteration, next update of this motorcycle, in some time, cruise control could be offered as well as this function switch, which doesn’t work right now. Switch gear quality is quite nice. The levers could have had span adjustability, considering the price of this motorcycle. That would have lent the premium touch and also practicality to riders of different size of hands. For my hands, the lever reach is quite okay, but span adjustability lever could have added that premiumness. The rear view mirrors work well, visibility is alright, but the stocks don’t lend that amount of premiumness to a motorcycle, which is costing almost Rs. 2.4 lakh, ex-showroom. So those things could have been improved to give it some more premium appeal. Fit and finish, some small niggles here and there could have been improved on the Raptee HV T30. But overall, you let us know what you think of this motorcycle, how the way it looks, what is the stance and those specs about the seat height, the weight and 17-inch wheels with dual channel ABS. Time to ride it now and tell you how it performs out in the real world. First things first, what will not leave you wanting for more on this motorcycle is the performance. It’s quite a thrilling motorcycle to ride, particularly in Power and Sprint mode, of course, where it goes completely ballistic, pun intended. And I saw a top speed, speedo indicated of about 128 kilometres per hour. The company claims 135 kilometres per hour top speed. With a lighter rider, perhaps it will reach beyond 130 because my colleague Janak has been riding, he clocked 132 odd kilometres per hour. I managed only about 128 kilometres per hour top speed. 0 to 80, very, very quick, 80 to 100, plenty of grunt. The power only starts tapering beyond 100 kilometres. 100 to 125 will take some time. It’s not sluggish by any standards, but it’s not as quick as you feel from 40 to 80 or 60 to 100. It’s very quick in Sprint mode, but Sprint mode would also mean you’ll have to sacrifice on the range. Company claims an IDC claimed maximum range of 200 kilometres on a single charge, in of course, the Comfort mode, the base mode. Three ride modes, Comfort, Power and Sprint. Real world, you could expect around 120 odd kilometres of range if you ride primarily in Comfort mode. Switch to Power, the range will drop to about 80. If you switch to Sprint, the range will perhaps drop to about 60. The best part about this bike of course, is the charging capability. This is the first bike of its kind, which uses the high voltage charging capability. It’s got a CCS2 charger, which essentially means that you can take this bike to any car charging station and charge it. And the claimed charging time on a public car charger is between 20 to 80 percent is just 36 minutes. So if you’re on a ride, if you want to go on a long ride even, you go and find a battery charging point, which you can see on the map as well. And while you’re having a coffee, while you’re having breakfast, you can juice it up and then again keep going. Any normal car charger, you can charge this motorcycle because of the CCS2 charger. That’s the biggest USP of this motorcycle because your charging anxiety is gone. Even with home charging, if you put a normal 15 ampere socket, it’s got an onboard 3.3 kilowatt charger. Even in home charging, the company claims you can juice it up from 20 percent to 80 percent in just about an hour or so. So that’s pretty good. And if you’re thinking of going electric, maybe recharging or charging time is something which you think. And this bike definitely addresses that. Anxiety of charging is gone with the CCS2 charging and even that onboard charger. So that’s the main USP of this motorcycle. Now performance, as I say, is quite entertaining and ride quality though could have been better. It’s slightly stiff, particularly the rear suspension is slightly stiff. It’s not unbearably stiff, so it’s not very jarring or it’ll make you– throw you around or make you uncomfortable, but it’s stiff. It could have been slightly more plush. So that is something I think needs a little bit of looked into or a little bit of improvement. The ride quality for everyday use, we’re riding through Chennai, through bumper to bumper traffic, broken roads because it’s been raining for the past three days. And over those potholes, I did feel the ride quality is on the stiffer side. It’s not exactly plush. It’s built around a steel trellis frame and 37mm upside down front forks with 110mm travel, rear monoshock with 110mm travel. Chassis is fine, it’s stable as long as you’re going on a straight line, but you try to make some direction changes, it’s not very keen to quickly change directions. It’s not a sport bike. Again, the company reiterates, this is not a sport bike. It’s a fun performance everyday commuter, something like a 250cc motorcycle, but it is not exactly sharp if you want to make quick direction changes. Of course, we don’t have any twisty roads here to test the true handling capability, but even on the straight roads or when slicing through traffic, it’s not very eager to change direction very easily, but it’s not unstable either. So the chassis is stable on a straight line, but it’s not sport bike sharp if that’s the kind of handling you want. So then how is the Raptee HV T30? As far as a young company’s first motorcycle goes, this one is a very promising product with those niggles in mind. Build quality, fit and finish could have been better. Those minor niggles, ride quality could have been slightly better. Sense of premiumness in the fit and finish is lacking, but overall, this is a company which promises to be here for the long haul and eventually it’s going to spread across the country. For now, it will be launched here in Chennai, followed by Bengaluru, all the southern capitals in about seven states and all, including Pune and at Rs. 2,39,000, it’s got pretty good value with that kind of performance, with that kind of kit and that kind of charging infrastructure with a CCS2 charger, which is not available in any electric two-wheeler right now in India. At Rs. 2,39,000, I think your charging hassles are taken care of. So, if that is something which is bothering you from switching over to electric, this bike certainly addresses that. My hope is that Raptee HV looks into those niggles, makes it feel more premium because you’re shelling out Rs. 2,39,000, that sense of premiumness and that minor fit and finish should have been there. If those issues are sorted, addressed, you have the sense of owning a premium motorcycle, which is slightly lacking in my book for this motorcycle. But overall, as a product, this makes a proposition, which is very easy to recommend if charging is an issue which you are always hassled with.

The Raptee HV T30’s claim to fame is being India’s first electric two-wheeler
with a CCS2 charger which can use any public car charger to recharge in around
half an hour. At Rs. 2.39 lakh (Ex-showroom), is it worth considering if you’re sitting
on the fence of going electric? We spent a day riding it to see what it’s all about.

00:00 Introduction
01:28 Design
02:13 Ergonomics & Dimensions
03:10 Charging
03:40 Warranty & Value
03:55 Build Quality & Fit-Finish
05:00 Features
05:25 Ride Modes
05:45 Switchgear & Controls
07:00 Performance & Dynamics
08:19 CCS2 Charger Convenience
09:38 Ride Quality
10:20 Handling & Stability
11:10 Verdict