Royal Enfield, the makers of this author's lord and savior—the Himalayan 450—are embarking on a new adventure into the electric motorcycle space. The brand's first offering, which will be joined by further additions in the near future, took the world by storm at CES last year in the form of the Flying Flea.
And the whole thing is a giant departure from the rather mechanically simple motorcycles the brand is known for. I, myself, fixed the Himmy in the backwoods of Utah with a literal stick when I binned it following a giant mud puddle.
The Flying Flea nameplate, which harkens back to a model of yore, is a joint project between Royal Enfield and Qualcomm, and has been going through rigorous testing for the last year. And the EV motorcycle is set to, theoretically, debut sometime next year, revolutionizing the brand's ethos and lineup. I say "theoretically" as the brand's EV project leader, Mario Alvisi, has reportedly left the company.
So where does that leave the Flying Flea?
According to Autocar Professional, Alvisi—who used to work for Ducati, as well as Alfa Romeo and Abarth—stepped down from his position, though an official statement has yet to be made. "Autocar Professional understands through reliable sources that Mario Alvisi, Chief Growth Officer (EV) and head of the brand’s dedicated electric-mobility vertical, has stepped down from his role," states the outlet, adding, "The exit comes at a pivotal phase in Royal Enfield’s EV journey, with the company currently in the middle of introducing its new EV brand globally ahead of the domestic launch of its first electric motorcycle in India next year."
Autocar Professional goes on to state that, "Following Alvisi’s exit, the EV team will now report into Yadvinder Singh Guleria, Chief Commercial Officer, and B. Govindarajan (BGR), CEO of Royal Enfield. The move integrates the EV vertical more closely with Royal Enfield’s core commercial and product operations, signalling a new phase of consolidation and execution focus as the company transitions from global brand introduction to pre-production readiness."
So what's next for the brand?
Well, the rumor mill is that Royal Enfield is set to debut a second model under the Flying Flea nameplate at EICMA, which starts this week, and we've already seen a prototype all-electric Himalayan testing in the Himalayas a few weeks back. So Alvisi's departure, while surprising, doesn't seem to be slowing the company down. That said, the EV motorcycle market has faced steep uphill battles winning over both die-hard motorcyclists, as well as new riders, as the bikes themselves don't always fit the bill for either. Range is still a concern, apart from EV dirt bikes, and cost of purchase is still a significant hurdle for many.
If any of that relates to Alvisi's departure is unclear, but Royal Enfield has been on an absolute roll lately in terms of products and offerings, and delivering on motorcycles that give customers exactly what they want. I'm still yearning to have a Himalayan 450 in my garage, even a year on from when I first rode it. Maybe the company just needed a shift in leadership?
