Four Gears on an Electric Bike?
Image Credit: Matter.
For years, the electric motorbike has been unfairly labeled the dullard of the two-wheeled world. Too quiet, they said. Too smooth. Too… simple. Apparently, the lack of frantic clutch work and the absence of a proper engine bellow meant they were devoid of any soul. Utter nonsense, of course. Anyone who's ever pinned the throttle on a decent electric bike knows that instant torque is a giggle-inducing experience all of its own.
But the folks at Indian startup Matter aren't content with just proving that electric power can be a hoot. They've decided that what the electric motorcycle truly needs is a bit of the old mechanical faff. So, they've slapped a four-speed gearbox onto their new Aera. Four! It's not some sort of elaborate joke either; it's actually meant to do something.
Image Credit: Matter.
This "Hypershift" gearbox, as they've rather dramatically called it, teams up with three riding modes to offer a grand total of twelve – count 'em, twelve – different ways to experience this electric steed. The official line is that this isn't just about giving the rider something to do with their left foot. Apparently, it also boosts efficiency, sharpens the throttle response, and makes the bike more adaptable to different riding scenarios. Fair enough, I suppose.
Propelling this geared oddity is a liquid-cooled electric motor kicking out a modest 14 horsepower. That doesn't sound like much, does it? But then you see the torque figure: a frankly bonkers 384 pound-feet! That's the sort of twist you'd expect from a muscle car, not something you straddle. Unsurprisingly, this means the Aera can scoot from 0 to 25 mph in 2.8 seconds. That'll certainly wake you up on your morning commute. Feeding this eager motor is a 5 kWh battery, which they reckon is good for up to 107 miles on a single charge, according to some testing regime. Make of that what you will in the real world.
Image Credit: Matter.
Being electric, it's not like they've skimped on the gadgets. You get a seven-inch touchscreen that handles all the usual modern fripperies – navigation, music, ride data, and even over-the-air updates. Fancy stuff. There's also a "smart park assist" – quite what that entails on a motorbike, I'm not entirely sure, but it sounds clever. Dual disc brakes with ABS are present and correct, as is a keyless start system. The bike even talks to an app called MatterVerse, unlocking live vehicle info, geo-fencing, customizable riding modes, and remote locking. It's all very 21st century.
Charging, thankfully, sounds straightforward. Just plug it into a standard US 110V wall socket. They even claim it'll only cost you about $0.003 per mile to run. Over three years, they reckon that could save you upwards of $1,200 compared to a petrol-guzzling dinosaur. Which is all well and good for the wallet, I suppose.
But this whole geared electric thing does raise a rather pertinent question: Can adding cogs to an electric motorcycle truly recapture the "soul" of the bikes we know and tolerate? Does a motorcycle need to vibrate like a washing machine full of bricks and roar like a grumpy bear to feel alive? Or is the simple act of clicking through gears and managing that instant electric torque enough to stir the petrolhead – sorry, "batteryhead" – within us?
Image Credit: Matter.
After a successful launch in Bengaluru, this Indian upstart is now unleashing the Aera onto the rest of India, with deliveries and test rides kicking off in Pune, Delhi, and Chennai. You can even put your name down on their website, and the early birds get some sort of special deal. They've even set up "experience hubs" in these cities for test rides and demonstrations.
It seems the boffins in the motorcycle world aren't just chasing bigger numbers anymore. They're actually thinking about how a bike feels to ride. Performance and range are still important, of course, but the Aera suggests there's a growing appreciation for the tactile experience. And that, I must admit, is rather intriguing. The big question now is, are you ready to embrace the silent revolution with added cogs, or are you still clinging to the comforting rumble of internal combustion?
