Flying Flea, the latest electric two-wheeler manufacturer, has announced its plans to integrate Qualcomm's Snapdragon products into its upcoming line of motorcycles, marking a significant step towards embracing the connected vehicle trend. The announcement was made at CES 2025, where the company shared its vision for bringing advanced connected capabilities to the two-wheeler market.

Flying Flea, which was introduced by Indian motorcycle manufacturer Royal Enfield in November 2024, is one of several e-motorcycle brands that is delivering the types of connected features that are already common in cars. Although the brand hasn't started shipping vehicles yet, it's already making waves in the industry with its commitment to connected services.

"Connected services are fundamentally transforming the two-wheeler and micromobility markets, providing riders with real-time diagnostics, advanced navigation, and personalized ride settings – all of which enhance the safety and convenience of their journey," said Nimish Shrivastava, senior director of product management at Qualcomm, in a statement.

Flying Flea is not alone in its pursuit of connected features. Other high-tech two-wheeler brands, such as Verge Motorcycles, Damon Motorcycles, Harley Davidson's LiveWire, and Zero Motorcycles, are also embracing intelligent and connected features like different ride modes, over-the-air updates, and GPS capabilities.

Flying Flea expects to drop its first vehicles in early 2026, which will include the classically styled FF-C6 and the scrambler-like FF-S6. The brand's future lineup will integrate Qualcomm's Snapdragon QWM2290 system-on-a-chip (SoC) and Car-to-Cloud platform, which will enable advanced connected features like voice assistance, customizable ride modes, and smartphone-enabled keys.

Qualcomm launched its QWM2290 SoC in 2023 specifically for two-wheelers, which connects multiple functions in a single chip, like infotainment, driver assistance, and navigation systems. This particular SoC can give riders alerts for low battery with recommendations for nearby charging stations, real-time navigation, safety features like alerts if a rider goes above the speed limit, and vehicle monitoring.

In the case of Flying Flea, the SoC powers the vehicles' core vehicle control unit that runs Flying Flea's operating system. This enables the rider to manage the vehicle and ride experience through a display cluster on the bike. Combined with Qualcomm's Snapdragon Car-to-Cloud platform, Flying Flea vehicles promise to maintain communication between the rider and the machine both on and off the motorcycle with 4G, Bluetooth, and WiFi connectivity.

The partnership between Flying Flea and Qualcomm marks a significant shift in the two-wheeler industry, which is increasingly embracing connected services to enhance the riding experience. As the market continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how other manufacturers respond to the growing demand for connected features in electric motorcycles.

In conclusion, Flying Flea's partnership with Qualcomm is a significant development in the electric two-wheeler market, which is poised to transform the way riders interact with their vehicles. With its commitment to connected services, Flying Flea is well-positioned to capitalize on the growing demand for advanced features in electric motorcycles.