Orxa Mantis Electric Bike Launched In India

After many delays Orxa Energies, the Bengaluru-based EV startup, has finally launched its first electric motorcycle, the Orxa Mantis. The bike was first unveiled in 2019 and the manufacturer had promised then that it would be launched by mid-2020. It comes with a price tag of Rs 3,60,000, including the 1.3kW charger (ex-showroom Bengaluru). The Mantis gets a 30,000 km or 3 year warranty for the vehicle, battery and motor, but like the Ultraviolette F77, it isn’t eligible for FAME 2 subsidy. 

The Orxa Mantis is powered by a liquid-cooled motor that outputs 20.5kW and 93Nm at its peak. The bike has a claimed top speed of 135kmph and accelerates from 0-100kmph in 8.9 seconds.

The motor is mated to a fixed battery that has a capacity of 8.9kWh and comes with a IDC (Indian Driving Condition) estimated range of 221 km. For perspective the top-end F77 has a claimed IDC range of 307km from its larger 10.2kWh battery pack. Charging the Mantis’ battery from 0-80 percent with the 1.3kW standard charger takes 5 hours, and with the ‘Blitz” charger, the time taken is 2 hours and 30 minutes. 

The bike features a segment-first all-aluminium aerospace-grade alloy frame and subframe. Suspension setup is based on a 41mm telescopic front and preload-adjustable monoshock at the rear. Braking is handled by a 320mm front and 230mm rear disc with single-channel ABS as standard. The Mantis has a kerb weight of 182kg, pretty decent for a e-bike of its segment. Seat height stands at 815mm, which is somewhat tall, and the bike gets a good ground clearance of 180mm. 

The bike rolls on 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped with Ceat Zoom tubeless radial tyres. Radial tyres have more flexible side walls compared to conventional ones, thereby ensuring greater confidence while cornering. All said and done, at its price point, Orxa should’ve provided a standard dual-channel ABS and an inverted fork. 

On the features front the bike comes with a 5-inch TFT display with smartphone connectivity, bringing navigation, phone notifications and ride analytics. The Mantis also gets an all-LED lighting setup with a twin-projector LED headlight, and regenerative braking along with ride-by-wire throttle control.

To address long term ownership, Orxa has partnered up with Nunam, a Bengaluru-based startup, for end-of-life battery buyback scheme. With this, the company claims, and we quote, a  “40 percent cost advantage”. Co-founder Prajwal Sabnis said “…at the end of life, the carbon footprint of the Mantis is reduced by 40 percent”, during his address at the launch event.

Orxa has also partnered up with another Bengaluru-based startup, Spare It, for servicing the bike. For electric charging infrastructure, a partnership with Bolt for fast charging solutions has been put in place. With the partnerships the company claims they will have over 100 charging points coming up along highways in the future to facilitate long distance riding.

The Mantis comes in two colour options: Urban Black and Jungle Grey. According to Orxa the first batch of deliveries will begin in April 2024 in Bengaluru and the next batches will commence in July and October of 2024. The closest rival of the Mantis is the Ultraviolette F77.