Australia’s first full-size electric motorcycle, the Savic C-Series, is on track for their first customer delivery this year after coronavirus pandemic setbacks.
Savic Motorcycles founder Dennis Savic (pictured above) says bike development is “going relatively well”.
“We have some new suppliers and it’s driving a significant, but positive, redesign of the powertrain unit which will be key to our success.
“The new design has been refined slightly and we’re keeping it under warps.
“The under bodywork will be completely different, but the overall aesthetic will be the same.”
Setbacks
This is despite some minor setbacks caused by the pandemic lockdown.
“Our biggest hit was a delay in investment as some of our investors removed their initial commitments as a result of the virus,” he says.
“They run their own businesses and need to conserve cash.
“Getting any kind of funding at the moment is challenging as a lot of risk capital has dried up.
“Many companies and funds are conserving cash to weather the COVID-19 financial storm.
“We’re lucky enough to have secured our seed funding this month, and are about to hire a few people so that we can get to work on building the production prototype.”
Production and orders
Denis Savic with his Aussie electric motorcycleDennis says most of their supply base for pre-production parts from suppliers in Taiwan and China are “back up and running” after the lockdown.
“We’re still receiving orders from excited customers which is great for the team,” he says.
Dennis hopes to have the first customer bike delivered late this year.
“The delay in funding is pushing the time lines back a bit,” he says.
“Our objective is delivering the first bike this year if we can manage it and pending the international situation. I like to over achieve.”
Savic C-Series
Savic Motorcycles will make 49 C-Series cafe racer electric motorcycles available in three variants.
| Specification | Alpha | Delta | Omega |
| Power | 60kW | 40kW | 25kW |
| Torque | 190Nm | TBC | TBC |
| Range | 200km | TBC | TBC |
| Charge time | 4-6 hours | TBC | TBC |
| 0-100km/h | 3s 900ms | TBC | TBC |
| Price (+ORC) | $22,999.00 | $15,999.00 | $10,999.00 |
That’s much cheaper than the Harley-Davidson LiveWire electric motorcycle which launched last year in the US at about $US30,000 ($A44,000). It was expected to be available in Australia late next year, but delivery may be delayed by the pandemic. Pricing is also yet to be confirmed.
Buyers of the first production models will also receive:
- Exclusive company updates first;
- Lifetime membership providing exclusive discounts for all future Savic rider gear; and
- Live updates and images of their bike build as it happens.
Each model comes with several battery pack options. The largest offered in the Alpha will provide range of up to 200km, while the smallest option in the Omega is expected to have about 50km range.
Like all electric vehicles, peak torque is instantaneous and the Alpha will accelerate from 0-100km in 3.9 seconds.
By comparison, the LiveWire has city range of about 235km and highway range of about 150km and reaches 100km/h in three seconds.
Savic customers will be able choose a range of options in brakes, suspension, wheels, tyres and three colours – Spectre, Stealth, and Rustic.
Aftermarket upgrades will also be offered.
The bikes feature a fully integrated, stressed, liquid-cooled motor and energy storage system.
Depending on the model and battery pack a customer selects, a single charge can provide up to 11kWh. That costs only $3 compared with about $15 for a petrol bike to travel 250km.