Off the beaten track: How two electric motorcycles covered 13,500+ km across India in 54 days
Join bike enthusiasts and startup mentors John Kuruvilla and Gautam Khot, on an electrifying journey. An idea that was sparked by the thought of a joyride but turned into an epic ride.
An idea sparked by the thought of a joyride has turned into an epic ride. Here is a story that drove a team to join forces on an unexplored journey. Connecting the dots along the way and inspiring young minds toward being job creators instead of job seekers.
The StartupNRev ‘BharatMala’, a joint initiative of seven collaborators—Orxa Energies, SpareIT, Pothole Raja, Charzer, BrigadeREAP, SpiceRoute Legal, and YourStory—decided to burn the rubber on two electric motorcycles, with a dedicated support team travelling over 13,500+ kilometres across India.
The map garlanding India. To break the World record on the Longest ride on an Electric Motorcycle!
The team of enthusiasts, John Kuruvilla and Gautam Khot, charted a rigorous plan for this epic ride. With every detail in place—be it mapping of the route, accommodation along the journey, charging of the motorcycles— the journey was planned meticulously.
However, BharatMala was not just an initiative to showcase the prowess of electric vehicles, this ride had a purpose. The aim was to encourage students of various educational institutions along the way to follow the path of entrepreneurship.
"What amazed us is the energy in smaller towns. We engaged with over 6,000 students, who were delighted to meet us and the mentors from the EV ecosystem. Genuine ideas, genuine product stories, and genuine challenges is what we saw,” John said.
“From a cultural perspective, I think I found some common strands in the large diverse population that basically constitutes this beautiful country. And that was, hospitality and largeness of heart,” added Gautam.
The journey made memories, inspired a great deal of learning, and the will to power through. While enduring this cross-country ride, testing the performance of the EV motorcycles through various geographical conditions, and beating the world record. The true rewards were the stories of engagement, knowledge, and passion with the bright minds they interacted with along the way.
“I sincerely believe that India is today what I call a biker’s paradise. Great hospitality, very good roads, and on the highways, people are friendly, stalls are friendly and cops are friendly. Especially, if you’re on a purpose, the world will come to support you,” said John.
“I’m a committed motorcyclist and I also want to make sure that one defining message to share with everyone who is listening in. When you’re out on the road, please be nice to other people. Follow all road safety regulations that exists in the area and country that you are riding in. Because that’s the only way you can return back home safely in one piece,” Gautam signed off.
The endurance test of this epic ride across our country, bore witness to a welcoming revelation of true performance. Minds and machines.
Edited by Saheli Sen Gupta