Hulikkal Medley Review

Hulikkal Medley e-cycle review

Fantastic acceleration at low speeds, quick charging of lithium-ion battery!
The e-cycle weighs 25 Kgs which is kind of heavy. Lack of gears was the other drawback for certain users.

By Raphae Halim & Farah Halim on January 28, 2016 10:37 am

August 2016 Update
We have updated the review and added many important points that we have observed after using Hulikkal e-Cycles for quiet some time.
Also we have adhered to our updated scoring system

Video Review

We @ PluginIndia tested the Hulikkal Electric Cycle - Medley on Mumbai roads.
An electric cycle? Yes! A normal cycle with a battery pack and a motor ensures you can ride without pedaling or even in pedal assist mode! You can turn off the electric assist and rough it out too, if you want!
Wont this make you lazy? Trust us! This ability to zip away using the BLDC motor really takes the frustration of loosing momentum when you start and stop in cities. Also you will enjoy the help the motor provides while climbing steep inclines!

BLDC motor

We rode the bike from Santa Cruz east to Sanjay Gandhi National Park a distance of around 25 km one way. We rode in combination of all 3 modes - all electric no pedaling, pedaling and electric assist and just pedaling with no assist!
While the Sanjay Gandhi National Park ride was long and straight we also did a test ride from the dealer’s location in Bhandup (West) to our home in Santacruz (East) a distance of around 25 Km. This was along crowded streets and in rush hour. This is where we really felt it did way better than other two wheelers even as a mode of regular transport. At almost every traffic signal motorcycle riders came up and wanted to know more about the bike. Other people interested in the bike were pedestrians and even some taxi, and rickshaw drivers… One of them told me that they were wondering how this cycle is going so fast without any pedaling at all :-)

Yep! Electric Cycle on test!

Stop & Start in crazy Mumbai traffic was a breeze with the electric assist!

So here is our take on the Hulikkal Electric Cycle Medley:

Styling & Ride : 2 out of 7

[0] The Hulikkal Medley is an average looking bike. Although a sporty design, the carrier placed behind to house the battery and controller makes the e-Cycle look old fashioned.
[+1] It’s got telescopic suspension in the front and spring loaded suspension in the rear, which makes for a really nice ride.
[-1] The steel frame with the battery and motor weighs in at 25 kg. We found it very heavy to push it around or lift it over ledges etc. We are so used to pushing cycles with ultra light alloy frames.
- They need to go in with Alloy frames. Hulikkal must provide this as an option to the customer, who is interested in a lighter e-Cycle.
- Having said that weight is not an issue, while riding the Medley.
[-1] The placement of the controller and the battery at the rear carrier along with the in-hub motor placed also in the rear wheel adds a lot of unsprung weight at the back. This unsprung weight adds more stress and strain to the tyre, spokes, rim etc.
- Hulikkal must start thinking about providing better balance to their e-Cycles. Placing the controller and battery pack at the center and avoiding extra metal carrier will reduce weight and also provide a better balance.
[+1] The seat is comfortable but the gel seat is an accessory and is recommended. More seat options including seats with suspension would be nice.
[+1] Finally the brakes. Do note that the stock version of the e-Cycle is not sold with disc brakes. The model we tested had them and the disc brakes are quite firm. Having them on both front and rear is also a good idea.
[+1] There is a sensor / cut off switch in the brake lever which turns off the drive motor during braking. Some good touches there.

Performance : 4 out of 5

[+1] The Medley is zippy in slow moving traffic. It’s Instant acceleration allows easy maneuverability.
[+1] The pick up is great! In city, at the signals, that’s what really counts. Everyone who rode the Medley had a smile on their faces! Petrol two wheelers just cannot offer the instant acceleration offered by the electric drivetrains.
[+1] The top speed is much lower than the other vehicles on the road. Here is where we first realize that we’re on a e-Cycle not a scooter or motor-bike. However with a bit of pedaling that too can be overcome. The 250 Watt BLDC motor does most of the work, pushing the bike to it’s rated 25 kmph. From here we found we could pedal to a decent 35 to 40 kmph. So, yes! We could overtake autos and other slow moving vehicles much to our surprise and their chagrin.
[+1] The thick tyres are great for off road or fun rides.
[0] The Hulikkal Medley does not come with physical gears. It is a single speed system.
The company offers only a 6 speed gears as an accessory. They don’t offer 21 speed gear systems. This is understandable as the hub motor at the back wheel takes a lot of space in the axle and fitting a 7 speed cassette for gears can be difficult.
- Adding a 6 speed gear system would definitely make it easier to pedal without the motor’s assistance.

Efficiency & Range : 6 out of 7

[+1] The battery pack is 2.8 kg in weight which is much lighter and more efficient than a comparable lead acid battery pack.
[+1] It takes only 0.35 units (kWh) of electricity to fully charge.
[+1] The Medley which we tested was rated to go 40 km per charge and we certainly got more than 40 km, given the fact that we did some pedalling and also used the throttle a lot.
[0] There are no physical gears provided with the stock e-Cycle. Addition of gears can help increase the range and efficiency
- With a single speed geared e-Cycle, pedaling from a standstill at 0 kmph is tougher and you tend to use the throttle right from the start, and that drains more power from the battery. With a geared e-Cycle, you can use the lower gears to pedal easily and use the electric throttle when you reach a certain speed. Thus having gears with help your e-Cycle go further, as you are seeking the motor’s assistance more efficiently. Which means more range per charge.
[+1] Test ride 1: Long and straight: From Santacruz (East) to Borivali National Park (18 km+), rode it inside the park (10 km+), and back (18 km+). A distance of 46 km+ at least, and yet there was charge left. We did pedal some of the way, and for flyovers we used the accelerator to climb uphill. So all things considered, stop and go traffic, extra demos to interested by-standers… The bike did better than advertised! :-)
[+1] Test ride 2: Crowded streets during the evening rush hour: From the dealer’s location in Bhandup (West) to our home in Santacruz (East) a distance of about 25 km. This is when we really felt it did way better than other two wheelers even for a daily commute.
[+1] Test ride 3: Around the suburbs: The carrier on this bike is so sturdy that we could easily have a pillion rider on it. The battery wasn’t even 30% drained. We could have used it for days before recharging it.

Charging : 4 out of 5

[+1] The Li-Ion battery pack is a great asset. It’s really quick to charge (90 minutes for a full charge).
[+1] The charger is good quality and we don’t need to keep track of time to switch it off as it has over-charge protection built in.
[+1] The indicator lights on the battery and coloured LED light on the charger are easy to understand and use.
[0] However if it could regenerate some of that energy back while under pedal-power, or even rolling downhill it would be such a boon.
- Let us not discount the 1 HP (human power) engine that are our legs. We could charge the bike with a vada pav and lassi just as easily as we can from a 5 amp socket. Now that’s as much fun as it is eco-friendly!
- This especially makes sense because we can generate a little bit of extra power rolling down the many flyovers we encounter in the city.
- We could even attach a full stand and use it as an exercise cycle. The benefit would be not just to health but also we would feel happy having generated useful electricity. :-)
[+1] The battery is detachable and light in weight. This allows us to charge conveniently at home and not have to maneuver the bike to a spot close to an electrical outlet.

Pricing and Availability : 1 out of 2

[+1] The Medley, we recieved costs INR 32,900/-
[0] They do have a dealer network only in India. There are no dealer locations listed on the website: http://www.hulikkal.com/

Extra Features : 2 out of 4

[+1] The key has a nice feature. It folds so that once inserted into the battery it no longer protrudes outwards but hangs down.
[+1] Having a powerful battery has it’s perks. The bike has a very adequate LED headlamp.
- It is able to illuminate the road even when there are no streetlights. Being connected to a large battery means it stays bright unlike dynamo based cycle lights.
[0] We would have loved a rear brake light and if it’s not too much to ask, tail lights and trafficators :-)
However such things can be optional upgrades. The stock bike would do well just to have the basic features to keep the upfront cost low and allow customers to pick the accessories of their choice.
[0] There is no LCD screen accessory. Such an accessory would really help the user to read the battery SOC. The bike we received had an an indicator on the battery pack, but there is no way of knowing the charge remaining while riding as the battery is placed behind.
- We might be able to read other information too like temperature, tyre pressure, voltage, speed, distance, etc.

Long Term Ownership

The battery may need replacement every 5 to 7 years depending on usage.
The cost is about 45% of the cost of the cycle.
At 0.35 units per full charge we spend INR 1.75/- for 40 Km (if 1 unit costs INR 5/-). So it’s about 4 paise per Km. In petrol equivalent it’s 1650 Kmpl!!! (petrol @ INR 66/- per litre).

Other perspectives

At almost every traffic signal motorbike riders came up and wanted to know more about the bike. Other people interested in the bike were pedestrians and even some taxi, and rickshaw drivers… One of them told me that they were wondering how this bike is going so fast without any pedaling at all :-)
Lead acid batteries get hot during charging, the Li-Ion pack in Hulikkal bikes does not heat up as much. It has a much higher charge density meaning it’s lighter by far. Also it lasts much longer so replacement costs are lower.
Currently FAME India (under NEMMP 2020) is not applicable to e-Cycles. It would be great if the government looked into this. Cycles are a big thing in India.

Dealer Interview - Video

This is a great electric cycle available for the the Indian market today! Go green, go electric!

Thank You!
The PluginIndia review team would like to thank the following people for being very nice and co-operating with us in order to work on this review.

Mr Prasant Goel of Hulikkal E-Bikes
Mr Sumit Goenka at EV First, Bhandup, Mumbai