At the 2016 Auto Expo, Tork Motors unveiled the T6X electric Bike and since then, the indigenous manufacturer of Electric bikes has come a long way. Today, Tork Kratos range of electric bikes which can be considered as credible replacement of the 125cc -150-cc petrol segment.
Tork Motors has been able to achieve 99% of localized production with only things that are imported include lithium-ion batteries, chargers, neodymium magnets, and contactors. Just like other prominent names in the 2-wheeler industry, Tork Motors has successfully secured a reliable supplier base and like Ather Energy, it assembles imported cells in battery packs here in India. We went to their plant to see it all happening together.
The putting together of the cells in a battery back is carried in a controlled environment inside the production unit of the company. Each cell goes through the voltage check and after polarity evaluation, these cells are then placed in three layers and connected to a copper terminal. This is followed by a laser welding process and hand-soldering of sensors. Charging and discharging of the battery pack is then done cyclically to ensure each cell is performing to the best of its potential. A clever piece of engineering is the placement of the battery management system and powered distribution unit at the top section of the battery. These units are connected with each other and their location at the top ensures cells won’t get damaged in case of any kind of structural impact. The battery pack is then filled with the Phase Change Material (PCM) which ensures the extraction and transfer of the heat to walls, thereby enabling the cooling with the help of airflow.
The motor used in the Tork Kratos R is an Axial Flux Permanent Magnet Motor (AFPM). It consists of a stator and two rotors and offers 96% efficiency besides offering compact packaging for better space utilisation. The assembly of a stator and the rotor is linked to the gearbox whose primary function is to multiply the torque. In order to protect the motor from overheating, there are several fins which dissipate the heat and the presence of a number of safety layers further augments the level of protection to the battery pack.
Each and everything is assembled on a U-shaped assembly line and the process starts with mounting the battery back on the trellis frame. This is followed by putting together the motor, suspension, and swingarm before the fitting of wheels, brakes, and fenders is performed. Laying out of wires follows the subframe fitting and before moving the bike to the dyno test body panels are put together. In the testing process, each motorcycle goes through the evaluation of power and torque under different speed conditions. This is followed by shipping of the Electric bikes to the 15 dealerships which the company plans to expand to 100 by the end of FY24.
Tork Motors has ambitious plans of creating one platform for all charging needs, making everything in India and by hand at their own disposal, creating everything and solving all problems. Kapil, the head of Tork Motors is visionary since not just now, but every since they started racing a small electric bike at the iconic isle of man TT. The FZ electric prototype back in the day shocked the auto industry. Tork Motors with their Kratos variants is already doing well slowly and steadily and this seems to be the only brand who is creating value, engineering and solving the endless problems that the EV industry and consumers face. We sampled it earlier prototypes and we were impressed. The new developed motorcycles should be ideal for every day use. Asking about longer range ,high powered motorcycle, Tork Motor’s Kapil said, it is easy to do if you import everything like its rivals, however, doing everything at home, requires endless resource and time. Stay tuned for road test stories coming on the website and Youtube channel!
