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By July this year, you will be able to enjoy a safe ride in the electric vehicle Zbee for your shopping trip to the mall.
Developed by Swedish company Clean Motion, the 230-kg eco-friendly vehicle will ply on Delhi roads to offer last mile connectivity from metro stations.
“We have tied up with DLF and the pilot in Delhi will see 50-75 vehicles connecting DLF Place Saket mall with Malviya Nagar station. The second phase will see these vehicles in Cyber City hub in Gurgaon,” said Anil Arora, Country Head, Clean Motion India Pvt Ltd.
Fast chargingThe vehicle, which can go up to 45 kmph, comes with a lithium battery and costs ₹3 lakh. With a special rapid charger, the battery takes 20 minutes to be fully charged whereas with a normal electric point, it will take 2 hours. One full charge can deliver up to 50 km, he said, adding that the vehicle comes with charging infrastructure and a kiosk with a solar panel.
As of now, the company is looking at Delhi-NCR. “We are localising the product. It will be made in India. We already have a manufacturing partner in Faridabad. The facility can produce 200-250 vehicles a month and then we will scale it up,” Arora said. The company has invested $10 million till now in India.
Clean Motion currently has 25 vehicles ready in the factory. It is awaiting registration and RTO formalities before the vehicles ply on the roads.
Globally, the vehicles are currently running in European countries and Indonesia.
On why it could be a success in smart cities, he said, “In terms of sheer profitability, the operator can earn much more compared with a CNG or a diesel vehicle. In terms of per km cost, it is 30 per cent of the cost of CNG.”
Franchise modelThe company is not selling any vehicles. It is leasing it and renting it under a franchise model. A player needs to franchise at least 25 vehicles with repayment spanning over a period of 3-5 years without any upfront cost.
On expansion, Arora said, “We have plans for about 30 spots in Delhi. Even Delhi University can be a place for such vehicles.”
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