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The global shortage of memory chips has driven up costs, placing a huge strain on electric vehicle makers in the country. Bengaluru-based Ultraviolette—which produces high-performance electric motorcycles—says it will not pass on the high input costs to customers and is exploring other ways to tide over the situation. Memory chips are a critical component of an electric vehicle, used to store data, run control software, and manage real-time operations across critical systems. According to Ultraviolette’s Founder and CTO, Niraj Rajmohan, RAM (random access memory) alone adds Rs 20,000 to the cost of a vehicle. With global companies building very large data centres, there has been a surge in memory chip consumption, he added. AI data centres are projected to consume 70% of global memory chip production in 2026. The data centre boom has led to a supply crunch, subsequently shoring up costs of chips. But it would not be fair to pass on the costs to customers, said Rajmohan, adding that a threefold jump in memory prices in recent times cannot translate into a threefold jump in the price of an electric bike, and customers cannot be asked to suddenly pay far more. The company is working on alternatives to absorb costs. For now, Ultraviolette is scouting for alternative parts, including software, components and technologies, and alternative manufacturers to partner with. The company is also relying on partners who hold a stake in the company, including TVS, TDK Ventures, and Intel, for their knowhow and expertise, said Rajmohan. He, however, did not elaborate on the alternatives. Rajmohan was speaking at the launch of X-47 Venom, Ultraviolette’s first bike built on its new platform ‘VX-100’, What is VX-100? VX-100 is a 100V electric powertrain architecture that seeks to improve performance and efficiency in electric two-wheelers. An electric powertrain architecture is the integrated system of energy storage, electronics, and mechanical components that converts stored electrical energy into mechanical motion to propel the vehicle. Rather than upgrading the parts one at a time, Ultraviolette has redesigned the battery, motor, and control electronics together, as one system. The X-47 Venom is the first bike built on this new architecture. The company claims it offers better battery cooling, lighter components, and stronger power delivery, along with support for DC fast charging at up to 12 kW. Most electric two-wheelers run on 48V, said Rajmohan, adding that the telecom industry and Southeast Asian manufacturers built their systems around it. At 100V, X-47 Venom’s system draws lower current, and hence produces less heat. The objective is to provide high speed and better performance without the heat, energy loss, and extra weight that usually come with electric vehicles. Currently, Qualcomm supplies the chips that power the bike's new dashboard, while TDK provides the RF (radio frequency) components and capacitors. The X-47 Venom is priced at Rs 2,65,000 for the first 5,000 buyers. Bookings opened on October 22, and deliveries are set to start in November. The European launch will happen on November 3 at EICMA, an international motorcycle expo in Milan. The bike has undergone extensive test rides covering 150 to 200 km a day for several months, said Rajmohan. Ultraviolette’s product portfolio includes the F77 sports bike that is targeted at sports enthusiasts, while the X-47 Crossover is intended to appeal to a broader set of customers, including sports, adventure and street riders. The Crossover makes up about 90% of the company’s sales. The new VX-100 platform will go into all of Ultraviolette’s forthcoming products. Four launches are expected next year, including the Tesseract (a scooter) and Shockwave (an Enduro motorcycle), and an upgraded F77 bike. Roughly 90% of sales come from India and 10% from abroad, including the European market, where the company has been expanding. There are more than 7,000 Ultraviolette bikes on the roads worldwide today. Ultraviolette was founded in 2016 by Narayan Subramaniam and Niraj Rajmohan. Its backers include Lingotto, TDK Ventures, Qualcomm Ventures, Zoho Corporation, TVS Motors, Yali Capital, and Speciale Invest. Edited by Swetha Kannan
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