AirV's cheapest bike costs Rs106 a watt hour and its fastest Rs164, and the range claims need checking

Air Link's AirV electric bikes cost between Rs103 and Rs164 for each watt hour of battery, and the dearest per unit of energy is the XR, not the largest model. The 11 models, launched in Lahore on 4 November, are listed at Rs198,000 to Rs549,000 by the retailer Auto Power. Air Link's launch announcement and its disclosure to the Pakistan Stock Exchange carried no prices, and the company said bikes would reach buyers through channel partners and retailers.

The company has said the bikes have replaceable lithium ion batteries, cruise control, regenerative battery technology, NFC and an anti theft system, with a longest range of up to 200 km depending on the model. The first bikes will come from international partners, with assembly moving gradually to its Sundar Green Special Economic Zone plant in Lahore and a long term aim of up to 95 percent local content. Its board approved the project in July 2026. Airfin, its buy now pay later arm, can finance purchases in monthly instalments.

The prices and battery figures below are as listed by Auto Power, PakWheels and ProPakistani.

Rupees per watt hour

Multiplying a pack's volts by its amp hours gives its energy in watt hours (Wh). The Glide, at 72 volts and 26 amp hours, holds 1,872 Wh and costs Rs198,000, or about Rs106 a watt hour. The Fleet, at 75 volts and 64 amp hours, holds 4,800 Wh for Rs495,000, about Rs103. The Vortex Pro (76 volts, 48 amp hours) holds 3,648 Wh for Rs390,000, about Rs107. The Z Wing and Z Wing Pro come to roughly Rs110 and Rs111, the Glide Pro to Rs115, the Racy to Rs119, the Glide Max to Rs121 and the Z Wing Max to Rs128.

Above that the price per watt hour jumps. The XR GT holds 3,800 Wh for Rs549,000, about Rs145. The XR holds 3,040 Wh for Rs499,000, about Rs164, roughly 60 percent more per unit of energy than the Fleet. Its pack is smaller than the Vortex Pro's, yet it costs Rs109,000 more. What it adds is power and speed: a listed 2,500 to 3,000 W motor and 70 km/h, against 2,000 to 2,500 W and 60 km/h. A buyer of the XR is paying for performance, not for range.

What the range claims imply

Dividing energy by claimed range gives the consumption each claim assumes. The Glide's 80 to 85 km implies 22 to 23 Wh a kilometre. The Fleet's 180 to 200 km implies 24 to 27, and the XR GT's 130 to 140 km implies 27 to 29. The XR's 80 to 90 km implies 34 to 38.

The first three sit in a plausible band for a light two wheeler at moderate speed. Air drag grows with the square of speed, so the Fleet's 200 km is credible only at a pace well below its listed 65 km/h top speed. The XR's figure looks closer to what a fast bike draws in ordinary riding. The headline range reads as a best case on the longest pack.

Battery chemistry matters too. The Glide and Z Wing are listed with graphene batteries, the Glide's from Chilwee, a company best known for lead acid cells. A graphene labelled pack from a lead acid maker is usually a lead acid variant, which is heavier than lithium and is normally not discharged as deeply. If that is the case here, usable energy is below the label and the real cost per usable watt hour is higher than Rs106 and Rs110. Four models have no portable battery, the Glide, Z Wing, XR and XR GT, so owners would charge them on the bike.

A price marker from Punjab

The nearest public benchmark is the Punjab government's student e bike scheme, which prices its bike at Rs199,000 in total. The cheapest AirV, at Rs198,000, sits within Rs1,000 of that. The scheme's battery and motor specification is not published in the sources the magazine reviewed, so the two can be compared on price only, and not on rupees per watt hour.

The figures that would settle the questions raised here are Air Link's own price and specification sheet, the battery warranty, the charging time and the price of a replacement pack. Air Link told investors that deliveries would begin about a week after the 4 November launch, around 11 November.