Exclusive Interview with Matter COO Arun Pratap Singh: Need For Gears In An EV ?

​Matter is an Indian two-wheeler EV startup that has been coexisting since 2019. The company has its headquarters situated at Ahmedabad, Gujarat, where they also have a manufacturing facility in the Changodar region holding an annual manufacturing capacity of 120,000 units. This facility acts as an assembly line for the company’s sole product, Aera, which is offered in two versions, the Aera 5000 and 5000 Plus. The Aera series has helped the Series B company to secure a total valuation of ₹1,790 Cr.

In addition, the OEM raised funding of ₹566.33 crore recently, which is equivalent to $67.8 million. Having said that, we had the opportunity to visit the Matter’s manufacturing plant two weeks back and also test ride the production-ready spec of India’s first liquid-cooled geared electric motorcycle. Ever since the media ride, the high-speed, sustainable two-wheel mobility solution is on a journey to expand across the nation.

The expansion plan at the initial stage aims at tier one cities such as Pune, Mumbai, and Delhi. In a recent development as a part of the similar strategy, Matter announced its dealership launch in the national capital on 3rd July, 2025, and luckily we were a part of such a grand event. Furthermore, this participation allowed us a moment with one of the four names due to which this journey of seven years could be possible: “Mr. Arun Pratap Singh.”

In this exclusive interview with CarBike360, Mr. Arun Pratap Singh, COO & co-founder of Matter, shared the journey, challenges, the concept of gears in EVs, and future plans of the brand. 

Briefing on Mr. Arun Pratap Singh: he possesses 25 years of experience as an automotive professional in EVs, which further extends to buses and the battery business. As a chief operating officer and co-founder of Matter, his priorities and responsibilities stick to leading the business strategy and innovations leading to future possibilities of global expansion.

We put up certain questions across the table, and here’s how Mr. Arun chose to respond.

1. Aera 5000 Plus is the only EV motorcycle to equip a 4-speed manual transmission. Where other two-wheeler EV motorcycles are trying to be gearless and more about having fewer mechanical parts, Matter chose to go with the traditional route. Why?

Ans: To this question, the COO came up with a very practical answer, reverting to the fact that we never wanted to design something that changes your conventional motorcycle riding experience. The gears are considered the lifeline to any motorcycle, allowing the rider to have a sense of control and command and always be in a position to achieve a desired acceleration in the minimal interval. He further added that gears don’t only let the rider be playful with manoeuvring but also permit the motor to act with maximum potential, resulting in real-world applauding performance figures. Mr. Arun also mentioned the Aera 5000 Plus is built to cater to the 150-160cc naked commuter motorcycle category, and hence the manual gearbox along with the clutch system ensures only a change to a sustainable source, transforming to an environmentally conscious mobility solution, while retaining the mass-market ICE motorcycle’s appeal.

2. Matter, as a platform offering electric mobility solutions, inherits a collective journey of seven years. So, what led to the origin of the company?

Ans: The beginning of any startup is always a story of struggles, and Matter is no different. To this question, what we received as an answer is quite inspiring. Mr. Arun stated, Matter is the result of four ambitious think tanks, where Mohal Rajivbhai Lalbhai, the CEO & co-founder, principled the company’s name. The seven years of the journey had not been easy, especially with covid. However, thanks to our hard-working team, the operations only slowed down, never halted, and as a result of the same, by 2023 we were able to make multiple changes and additions to the product and showcase a near-to-production concept, which ended with a production-ready prototype in 2024. He continued, In 2024 we organised our first media ride for the Aera 5000 series, and we are taking the feedback and carefully evaluating it. In 2025 our second media ride turned out to be a success for the production-ready spec, which is followed by our dealership expansion.

3. The Aera 5000 Plus is positioned under the commuter segment despite its design and tech highlighting a premium category. What is the purpose?

Ans: Mr. Arun answered this question, referring to the tagline of Aera 5000 Plus, which is easy on the pocket, goes like a rocket. This is directed towards a segment that might be falling under a particular category. However, the purpose is undefined, serving different criteria. The Aera 5000 Plus is built as an alternative to 150-160cc naked commuters, and this segment is meant to take on both highway speeds and bumper-to-bumper traffic with convenient handling. Therefore, we aim at the mass market but with a different approach, offering a feature-loaded package and no compromise on performance at an affordable price.

4. Since 2019, the company has focused on the success of a single model depending on the acceptance of manual gearing in an EV motorcycle! What’s the plan for portfolio expansion and dealership targets looking at the future?

Ans: To this, Mr. Arun Pratap shared his response, claiming the company has registered more than 300 patents, out of which 70 have already been approved, and based on that, firstly, they’ll be bringing a more affordable, tier 2-centric, higher-on-range geared commuter electric motorcycle, which will cater to both urban and rural riding conditions, and focusing on the same in the future, the OEM anticipates a dealership count of 200. However, in accordance with the Aera series, as of now 30 dealership networks are confirmed this year. Adding further, he said, over the next two to three years, we’ll be launching one product annually, which will comprise higher-segment models belonging to the sports range. The confirmation of multiple such models being in the pipeline comes from certain prototypes that are under the test phase for 7-step preload monoshock evaluation, etc., although the primary focus will always be the mass market. This will further elevate the concept of manual gearing in the EV motorcycle industry on a larger scale, and then in the coming years, with an anticipated mark of $200 million in funding being achieved, the globalisation will only be a matter of time.

5. Matter offers the Aera 5000 Plus with liquid-cooling technology. So is there any need for liquid cooling in an EV, that too in a product that is designed to take on a consumer's daily urban rides, not the tracks?

Ans: When we raised a question mark over the need for liquid cooling assisted by a radiator fan, Mr. Arun Pratap, taking the reference of increasing global warming due to the continuous rise in temperature caused by severe ozone layer depletion, considered liquid cooling in any motorcycle, even the EVs, a need of the hour. As per the COO, most of our states now have an ambient temperature rising either to the borderline or almost surpassing the hazardous limit, and consider that the motor will require repeated cooling in order to function throughout, followed by the situations when your Aera is parked in bright sunlight at the risk of range anxiety. To avoid such critical conditions caused by an extremely heated environment, liquid cooling is a must for more usable range.

6. Matter Aera 5000 Plus is a geared electric motorcycle, which increases the mechanics, making the bike prone to wear and tear. How do you plan to avoid such challenges in an EV, as the rate and impact expected are undefined?

Ans: Mr. Arun agreed to the risk of wear and tear in an EV in reference to the addition of mechanical parts. However, he also said, We've kept the motor unit exposed, allowing the rider to identify the change of fluid's colour so that before the liquid turns darker, it could be replaced, preventing wear and tear. Additionally, shifting the gears rigorously without any regular maintenance for a longer period of time will definitely result in wear and tear of components and shall be treated as an irrationality of the consumer, yet due to local manufacturing, the availability of spare parts at a comparatively affordable price is not a big deal. The hardware requires special care no matter what fuel type it is incorporated into, and a similar story revolves around the Aera 5000 Plus.

7. Matter has priced the Aera 5000 Plus aggressively. However, the cost in comparison to the segment the bike has been positioned and designed to serve the purpose still feels a bit on the hefty side. Don’t you think the same way?

Ans: This question is most important, especially keeping in mind the potential buyers, and to this we end up receiving an answer that surprised us. Mr. Arun simply did not deny the fact that the Aera 5000 Plus sells at a hefty price tag. However, the twist is it's only for the initial stage, and considering the FAME 3 scheme, the additional warranty of 3 years or 45,000 km, and the daily usage estimate of 25 paise per kilometre make the cost feel reasonable. The initial cost of Aera when compared to the traditional 150-160 cc ICE motorcycle looks overpriced, but in the long run, once the paid value is retrieved because of the availability of the electric powertrain, the remaining 3 to 4 years the bike is ridden can be counted as extra, consuming minimal expenditure over the conventional competition.