Electric two-wheeler (E2W) start-up Matter has confirmed it has had to push deliveries of its maiden offering, the Aera electric motorcycle, to 2024. Originally slated to begin in September, deliveries of the Matter Aera will now only start sometime between January and March next year. The start-up has not specified the reason for the delay in the start of customer deliveries. It has, however, confirmed it plans to deliver over 40,000 pre-booked units of the Aera within 2024 itself. The start-up says its Gujarat plant is currently set up to produce 60,000 units annually, with plans to ramp it up to 120,000 units as demand rises.
The Aera was introduced at a launch price of Rs 1.44 lakh for the 5000 variant, and Rs 1.54 lakh for the 5000 Plus variant (ex-showroom). This price originally accounted for the full Rs 60,000 incentive that the Aera accounted for at the time, thanks to its large 5 kWh battery pack. However, the government has since revised the FAME-II subsidy structure for electric two-wheelers, and Matter – which is yet to sell a single motorcycle – had to undertake a price hike, which means the Aera now bears a price tag of Rs 1.74 lakh (5000) and Rs 1.84 lakh (5000 Plus, ex-showroom). However, Matter has previously confirmed it will sell the bike to all those who pre-booked it at its launch price.
The Aera is the only electric motorcycle in India with a manual transmission.
The Aera — designed and developed completely in-house by Matter — is a unique proposition since it is the only electric motorcycle in the country to come with a four-speed sequential manual transmission. Common to all variants of the Aera is a fixed 5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack (using either NMC or NCA chemistry cells), which also benefits from a liquid-cooling system – another first for an Indian E2W. Peak power output is 14 bhp, and claimed real-world range for the Aera is rated at 125 kilometres.
The Aera will have a 1 kW onboard charger, which is said to take less than five hours to charge the bike fully. The Aera is also compatible with DC fast charging, and will have a fast-charging time of under two hours, as per Matter. The Aera 5000 and 5000 Plus will be joined by two other variants, which could include one with a larger, 6 kWh battery, and Matter also plans to enter a different, more accessible motorcycle segment in the coming year.
When it does eventually arrive, the Aera will battle other electric motorcycles such as the Tork Kratos R, Oben Rorr and Revolt RV400.
