The list of auto-makers poised to bring in electric vehicles (EVs) in India just had another name added to it as the managing director of Bajaj Auto, Rajiv Bajaj recently mentioned the company¡¯s interest in electric scooters and motorcycles. As per him, the company is looking to have EV offerings in two, three as well as four-wheeler categories before 2020.
In an interaction with CNBC-TV18, Rajiv Bajaj stated ¡°Before 2020, both in the personal space in the form of a scooter or a motorcycle, or in the commercial space with three-wheelers and quadra cycles, we intend to be there with EVs.¡±
Interestingly, Bajaj Auto has an electric auto-rickshaw that has previously been spotted testing on the roads. The electric auto rickshaw was showcased back in September and was also recently flagged off in Delhi for trial runs recently. The EV is powered by 48-volt Lithium-ion batteries which are also swappable. Bajaj claims that the 400 kg vehicle can cover 120 kms on a full charge and can reach up to a top speed of 45 kmph. A full charge for the electric auto takes 6 hours.
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It will be interesting to see how Bajaj replicates the mechanism on a two-wheeler offering. We expect an electric scooter to be the company¡¯s first electric two-wheeler offering and since Rajiv Bajaj mentions that the company has set a timeline of 2020 to foray in all the categories, it might not be long before the auto maker comes up with a model.
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Rajiv Bajaj also mentioned how the company is eyeing 20-25 percent market share by 2020. In order to achieve this, electric two-wheelers would be an interesting vertical for the company to enter into, with the increasing adoption of EVs across country, continued efforts by the government towards their use and the increasing sales of the electric two-wheelers.