The electric motorcycle that matters

BUT DESIGNED FOR DOWNTOWN, NOT DISTANCES

- VIKRAM CHAUDHARY

FOR SEASONED motorcycle riders, the act of shifting gears, managing the clutch, and feeling engine revs (and sound) is an integral part of the riding experience. In electric motorcycles, all that is missing — and this possibly is one of the reasons why electric bikes aren't getting popular.

The Matter Aera is different — it is India's only electric motorcycle with gears! We rode it over two days, and most of it in the rain.

What is the Aera?

It's the first bike from Matter Motor Works, an electric mobility and energy tech start-up from Gujarat. It gets a four-speed manual gearbox, liquid-cooled battery and powertrain, 7-inch touchscreen, onboard 5-ampere charging, and has a claimed running cost of just 25 paise per km. It's available in two variants — Aera 5000 (₹1.83 lakh), and Aera 5000+ (₹1.94 lakh) — the latter has extra software features.

How's the design?

Let's compare it with other electric motorcycles — the Ola Roadster X+ looks minimalist and flimsy, the Oben Rorr looks basic, the Revolt RV400 looks tacky, and the Ultraviolette F77 SuperStreet looks far too aggressive and bigger.