EXCLUSIVE: Differences Between The Tork Kratos And Kratos R Are More Than Skin Deep

Speaking to our sister publication ZigWheels, Tork Motors’ CEO Kapil Shelke gives us detailed insights on what the R variant is all about

Tork Motors recently came back with a bang with not one but two electric motorcycles: the Tork Kratos and the Kratos R. The two variants may look similar on the outside, but are different in terms of the performance and features offered. 

Speaking to our sister publication ZigWheels.com, Tork Motors’ CEO Kapil Shelke reveals that there’s a lot more to the R variant than just a spec-change. Here’s what it’s all about:

Hardware Differences:

Talking about the differences in the hardware involved, Kapil says, “So there are two motors that we’ve built for our applications. So we were always building the T6X, kept on doing and then we upgraded -- we also called it, internal codename, T7X. We realised we can change some parameters of the motor and make it a little faster, but to do so we had to make some physical changes to the motor.”

“So that decision was taken six months ago to let them be physically different. There's a sprocket ratio difference, there is a motor difference, there is a complete drive train that is different.”

Fast-charging tech:

As a consequence of having different internals, there’s a Rs 15,000 difference between the standard and the R variant, with the latter being more expensive at Rs 1,22,999 (ex-showroom Pune, including FAME II and Maharashtra state subsidy). That said, the R variant comes with one major advantage: fast charging technology. 

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Kapil explains, “So the battery pack -- you won’t physically see those changes, but in terms of the material that we want to use there is a difference to make it capable of fast charging. That’s an added cost. There is a lot of warranty (complications involved) that will come up with fast charging, or to provide warranties for a certain period of time. So those parameters are taken into consideration.”

Kapil personally likes the R variant, which is pretty much a no-brainer considering the Kratos R is a well-rounded package in terms of features. Moreover, you also get free fast-charging network access for two whole years, which is significant when it comes to reducing the overall cost of ownership, at least in the initial years. You can read more about the differences between the two variants from a buyer’s perspective here.