The creators of the Punch project are Alexander Astapov, the former editor-in-chief of the Moto magazine, and now the art director of the Turboera D / K, and the Belarusian engineer Andrei Ginzburg, the former chief designer of E-Mobile, the high-profile automobile project of billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov.
“In essence, this is our collaboration with Andrei Ginzburg, we have been moving towards this idea for a long time, each in its own way. And in December last year, they accelerated, including all these delays due to the coronavirus, and rolled out a prototype in almost five months. Already under it we will seek investments, ”Astapov explained to Gazeta.ru.
Punch is a full-fledged motorcycle, but instead of an internal combustion engine, it has an electric motor with a power of 11 or 15 kW, supplemented by two blocks of a lithium-ion battery.
The declared range is 80-90 kilometers per charge, and the maximum speed limit is 120 km / h. Moreover, in order to charge an electric motorcycle it is not necessary to search for a socket for it, it is enough to take one of the removable batteries (or both at once) weighing 11 kg each and charge them indoors from the mains.
The Minsk Engineering and Production Company “Cage Impex” by Andrei Ginzburg is directly responsible for R&D and the implementation of the electric motorcycle. Despite the consonance of the new project with the electric concept of the E-Mobile, all the motorcycle’s solutions are completely new, he notes.
“Our company designed the technical part completely, all of our solutions are in place: electronics, the entire motorcycle design, software, with the exception of some purchased parts,” Ginzburg told Gazeta.ru. – Here is a completely new generation of drive,
its main feature is that it is low-voltage, which facilitates its maintenance in ordinary workshops, without the risk of being struck by electric current. “
With a relatively small weight (120 kg), the Punch has compact dimensions, high ground clearance and an extended suspension travel. The creators note that everything is designed for aggressive aerobatics in a real city “in the afternoon with its traffic jams, curbs and sidewalks – and the preservation of the pleasure of a slow ride on empty streets at night.”
According to Astapov, he thought over the concept for a long time: behavioral models, consumption style, miscalculation of the client, targets, technical characteristics and price. The main guideline is generation Z, which will be approximately 20-25 years old by the start of the project (in 2022-2023).
“This formula of the most promising niche for electric motors in Europe is known not only to us. The question is who can get into the nerve with the concept and design. Andrei and I are convinced (and this is not faith, but knowledge from the results of research) that our idea is so far the best, ”Astapov said.
Ginzburg said that while Punch is focused on the European market, for the Russian and Belarusian markets this product will not be so attractive for the time being, given the pronounced seasonality and inevitably high price (from 6.8 thousand euros), although Punch costs compared to competitors cheaper.
It is assumed that
the entire engineering process and the production of some components will be launched in Belarus and Russia, and the main assembly will be launched in one of the EU countries.
This moment is fundamental, Astapov believes.
“The assembly should be done in the EU only because the device with the mark“ Made in Russia ”is not particularly accepted in Europe. We are negotiating, some get better conditions in Hungary, others – in San Marino, but assembly is just not a problem – a ring conveyor, a warehouse and 10 people per conveyor, ”says Astapov.
Experts praised the prospects for an electric motorcycle project focused on the European Union.
“This is a definite good start, many companies, including BMW, KTM and Piaggio, are taking this path. The price of 6.8 is good if the motorcycle eventually becomes, for example, something like the equivalent of a 250 cc enduro, ”said Sergey Burgazliev, an independent auto industry consultant.
If full-cycle production is set up taking into account all the processes at the initial level, investments of about 10-12 million euros will be required, Burgazliev estimated.
“The European market with normal positioning must digest the price of this electric bike. But rely on removable batteries, as a trump card is not worth it – they are quite heavy for regular carrying.
It would be easier, of course, to provide fast charging of something like a supercharger or a network of battery exchange stations, but it’s expensive
– explained Burgazliev.
Punch motorcycles have low sales prospects in Russia, he said. The blame for the cold climate and low solvency of the Russians. The company will be able to offer over time a cheaper product for Russia, says automotive expert Sergei Ifanov.
“In Russia, in fact, electric means of mobility went very well. The main thing is to give a reasonable price – and the client will be found, ”the expert said.
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