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Virendra Pandit

Plans to launch hybrid-fuelled large buses soon

Ahmedabad May 12 Indus Elec-Trans, a division of induction furnace makers Electrotherm (India) Ltd, plans to introduce three-wheeler auto-rickshaws and high-speed two-wheelers, both battery-operated, and hybrid-fuelled large buses in the next few months.

"We have already applied to the Automobile Research Association of India for introducing the battery-operated three-wheelers. We hope to get the permission in the next two to three months and launch the vehicle in another three months or so," said Mr Avinash Bhandari, Director (Operations), Electrotherm, told Business Line here.

Besides, the company is also set to launch in the next three months a high-speed two-seater Yobyke priced at Rs 37,000.

The other five models currently available in the market are priced between Rs 16,000 and Rs 29,000.

The new offering would mainly target the youth with speed up to 45 km an hour. Yobykes require no petrol, licence or registration and can run 700 km for cost of one litre of petrol. Its battery can be charged just like that of a cell phone battery.

Electrotherm (India) introduced battery-run two-wheelers Yobykes in India last year.

In addition to this, Indus Elec-Trans is also developing two hybrid-fuelled bus models with seating capacities of 60 and 100, respectively.

It would runon battery as well as traditional fuels such as petrol, diesel and gas.

The company's turnover increased from Rs 344 crore in 2005-06 to Rs 730 crore in 2006-07 with projections reaching up to Rs 1,300 crore in the next two years.

The revenues included Rs 69 crore from sale of some 30,000 Yobykes by the company's electric vehicle division.

Enthused at the success of Yobykes, the BSE-listed company plans to sell one-1.5 lakh vehicles this year. It has now expanded its production capacity to 2,88,000 vehicles per annum at its Kutch-based plant.

More Stories on : Outlook | HCV/LCV/Tractors | Two/Three Wheelers

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