Pune-based company, backed by Ola founders, hopes to launch it in next two months
Pune-based Tork Motorcycle is gearing up to launch the T6X, a battery-powered motorcycle engineered to run beyond 100 kilometres per charge, in next two months.
Backed by Ola founders, Bhavish Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati, plans to launch the commercial model of India's first electric motorcycles, which it claims to have designed successfully.
Targeted at everyday use, the T6X bike, comparable to a 125-150 cc conventional motorcycle, will have a turbo battery having the capability to get 80% charge within an hour and complete charge in a couple of hours.
In the first phase, the vehicle is planned to get launched in New Delhi, and IT hubs of Pune and Bengaluru. Mumbai and Hyderabad are next in line, said the company officials.
"Around 90% of riders commute anywhere between 60-80 km per day on an average. Our product is giving them 100 km per charge of travelling. So, it will be attractive for everyday travelling. And it will be priced competitively," said Pune-based Kapil Shelke, founder of the company.
The company plans to produce 60,000 units annually from its manufacturing unit in Chakan, Pune.
Asked to comment on the typical customer apprehensions over the lack of adequate infrastructure such as charging points, roadside assistance, and economic feasibility, Shelke admitted that there is enough negative perception about the electric vehicles in India and that every concern would be addressed before the launch.
The company plans to set up charging points at coffee shops, malls, and other places apart from setting up roadside assistance programme. Two charging points have been set up in Pune, and are being tested, he said.
According to the company officials, the electric charges per round of charging vary between Rs 10-25 depending on the states. In Maharashtra, it may cost Rs 10 per charge which translates to 10 paise per kilometre.
The bike, like other modern day cars, will also be connected with a cloud system which will not only be GPS integrated through the driver's cell phone but also generate data like the driving habit, the battery usage, nearest charging stations, maintenance records, etc.
Shelke refused to comment on investments made so far, claiming that the company is sufficiently funded at present to see through the R&D and start production. Ola founders, Bhavish Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati hold minority stakes in the company. "They invested in their personal capacity," said Shelke.
At present, electric vehicle (EV) market currently has players like Hero Eco, Mahindra Reva, Mahindra GenZe, Electrotherm, Avon, Lohia, Ampere and Ather Energy, among others. The segment is gearing up for more competition with biggies such as Mercedes-Benz, Tesla, Volvo and Audi preparing their own push to ramp up premium electric cars. More than 95% electric vehicles on Indian roads are low-speed electric scooters (less than 25 km per hour), reveals an estimate prepared by trade association body Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV).
The development comes amidst the government plans to push electric vehicle usage in a big way by way of its National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) and get about 7 million electric vehicles by the year 2020.
A panel set up by the government has proposed some key measures in its draft report released recently. These include funding of state transport undertakings through viability gap funding (VGF) for running electric buses, setting of charging centres and providing free charging at parking lots and other public places for at least first couple of hours.
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