Ex-Tesla hand steers San Fransisco-based Zeno into India e-motorcycle race

First model to roll out at mass-market prices by Q4 2025

San Francisco-headquartered Zeno Auto — founded by ex-Tesla top executive Michael Spencer — is set to challenge Ola Electric in the country’s electric motorcycle market. 

The company, operating from Bengaluru, has already started the homologation process for its electric motorcycle, powered by a 4 kilowatt-hour lithium-iron phosphate battery. It plans to price it between ₹75,000 and ₹1.2 lakh. With a range of 100 kilometres (km) per charge, it aims to launch its maiden electric motorcycle in India in the fourth quarter of 2025. Positioned as a mass-market offering, Zeno hopes to address range anxiety by providing the battery-as-a-service through a subscription model, rather than requiring customers to pay upfront — a move intended to lower the initial cost below that of a popular ₹70,000–80,000 internal combustion engine motorcycle and bridge the price gap with electric two-wheelers (2Ws). 

Spencer, who worked at Tesla for four years across automotive manufacturing, the Model S3XY range, and the energy business as head of product teams, says: “The market we are targeting is the high-performance sports utility electric bike segment priced between ₹75,000 and ₹1.2 lakh — where there are currently no products in India. The aim is to offer a bike that can be used for family commuting, recreation, or by gig workers carrying goods or operating as motorcycle taxis. Our focus is the mass market.” 

He added that homologation is expected to be completed within six months. The product has undergone over 500,000 km of pre-testing across India and Kenya. The electric motorcycle is designed with a carrying capacity of 350 kilograms, double that of some competitors, based on their tests. The firm is backed by marquee investors, including Toyota Ventures; venture investor Christopher Sacca’s Lowercarbon Capital, which has invested in early-stage rounds for X, Uber, and Instagram; Yale alumni-led Blue Ivy Ventures; and home-grown AdvantEdge Founders, which has invested in green mobility companies like Rapido, Exponent, and Zingbus.  

While Zeno’s ambitions are global, India will serve as its production hub for Africa (especially Kenya) and South Asian markets initially.