Royal Enfield Flying Flea could make a return as an entry-level electric motorcycle based on a lightweight architecture
Royal Enfield announced its intentions towards bringing up future products at the EICMA 2023 Show in Milan, Italy by debuting an electrified adventure motorcycle based on the all-new Himalayan 450. Dubbed the Him-E, it is expected to hit production by the middle of this decade and Royal Enfield has invested a big sum of money to consolidate its EV operations.
According to a recent report that emerged on the internet, the homegrown manufacturer is developing a brand new architecture pertaining to electric vehicles. The in-house platform will underpin what have been codenamed the L1A and L1K and RE has allotted an entire floor at its corporate office in OMR, Chennai to the EV team.
The report further noted that the L1A will be a lightweight vehicle and could be dubbed the Flying Flea. The nameplate etched in the brand’s storied history, the Flying Flea was delivered in the Second World War and it could be airdropped by parachute behind enemy lines. Once it landed, all the paratroopers had to do was unscrew the single wing nut, lift the bike out, rotate the handlebars 90 degrees, kickstart and g in a matter of seconds.
After the war ended, the Flying Flea was used for civilian purposes as an easy and inexpensive mode of commuting. Sticking to its lineage, the electric vehicle carrying the Flying Flea badge could be positioned as an entry-level lightweight motorcycle. Within the next six months, the first tooled-up L1A could be ready with a single-seater layout.
Royal Enfield is putting more emphasis on developing it with low kerb weight to enable a good range between charges and offer decent performance characteristics. The Royal Enfield L1K could be an adventure machine as it could produce 16 kW maximum power and 9 kW continuous power output, which is roughly similar to the existing J-series engine-equipped motorcycles.
The Royal Enfield Flying Flea and the adventure tourer will likely come with 60-120 V battery architecture. The upcoming motorcycle featuring Stark VARG’s architecture may use a 350 V battery while a 48 to 60 V LFP (Lithium Ferrous Phosphate) is also being considered. Initially, RE is aiming to roll out 60,000 units of the L1A and L1K per year.