Savic Motorcycles aims to kick-start Australian electric manufacturing

Electric vehicle start-up Savic Motorcycles is aiming to start putting its C-Series into production after cashing in on a series of investments from the Victorian State and Federal governments.

Based in West Melbourne, the electric motorcycle manufacturer has so far raised $1.83 million in capital with the help of private partners, the Victorian Government, and a recent co-investment of $657,000 from the Federal Government’s Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC).

The C-Series is so far Savic's only bike, a café racer created by Perth designer Dave Hendroff and offered in three separate variants – a 25kW Omega, 40kW Delta and the range-topping 60kW Alpha, the latter of which develops 200Nm of torque to help it accelerate from 0-100km/h in a claimed 3.5 seconds.

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With team spread out across the Melbourne region in Carlton, Heatherton, Forest Hill, Berwick and Essendon, the arrival of Savic Motorcycles is a boost for the Victorian manufacturing industry after the closure of Ford's plant in Broadmeadows and Toyota's Altona plant in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

Despite lockdowns affecting the team over the past 18 months, its first production prototype was assembled a year ago with the battery and motor arriving earlier this year, just in time for the bike to go on display at Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art 'The Motorcycle' exhibition in March.

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Dennis Savic is the founder of Savic Motorcycles, a former Ford optimisation engineer with a passion for two-wheeled machines, and he believes the government funding will allow his company to start delivering its bikes as early as next year.

“Now that our first production run is funded, we’re aiming to have at least 20 bikes delivered to their owners in the last quarter of 2022, before rapidly scaling up manufacturing in 2023,” said Savic.

“Our initial customers have proved to be incredibly loyal and have shown great faith in us and our bike during the delays we’ve experienced during the lockdowns of the past 18 months.

"We even have a couple of lifelong Harley riders in there, which gives us great delight."

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All C-Series variants are fitted with a 16kWh lithium-ion battery, which can provide between 150km (Omega) and 250km (Alpha) of driving range, with the ability to be charged to 80 per cent in just under four hours.

Rather than a traditional chain and sprocket or even a shaft system, the C-Series utilises a carbon-fibre drive belt, made by Optibelt, to transfer power from the motor to the rear wheel – one of many high-quality components including Wilbers suspension and Brembo brakes.

At the moment, the Savic C-Series' only competitor is the Harley-Davidson LiveWire, an EV bike built by the iconic American brand. However, while the LiveWire has a ride-away price of $49,995, the C-Series Omega starts at just $12,990 before on-road costs, jumping up to $16,990 for the Delta before the Alpha tops out at $23,990 – less than half the Harley's cost.

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With production set to begin in 2022, Savic is already planning a second run of 200 units to start in 2023 – driven by grants from the AMGC, the Victorian Clean Tech Fund, and a research and development loan from Invest Victoria.

Savic's announcement comes on the same day Japanese manufacturer Kawasaki confirmed it will be moving to an electric-only strategy by 2035 for major markets, including its native Japan, the United States and Australia.

By 2025, Kawasaki is aiming to introduce at least 10 electric or hybrid motorcycles globally, transitioning from internal combustion engines and potentially developing a hydrogen fuel-cell powered bike.