Barely a year old, bootstrapped firm Twenty Two Motors has ventured into the electric vehicle segment in India with its smart electric scooter Flow.
Started by IIT graduates Parveen Kharb and Vijay Chandrawat in August 2016, the company is the latest in a long list of startups that smell an opportunity in the potential disruption due to electric mobility in the domestic two-wheeler industry.
More than 17.6 million two-wheelers are sold in the country today with scooters accounting for over 5 million of them. Even as a number of electric two-wheeler firms like Hero Electric and Electrotherm have been in operation for nearly a decade, the segment has stagnated due to lack of clear policy focus and infrastructure deficiency in the field of charging stations. Cumulative electric two-wheeler sales are only 45,000 for the last 8 years.
"The potential for growth is immense. If we look at what kind of two-wheeler -- scooter or motorcycle -- will the youth drive in India 5, 10,15 years from now. The answer is obvious--a smart electric vehicle. Why not make such a vehicle today itself and offer it to the consumers? That is where we come from," says Parveen Kharb, CEO, and co-founder.
Flow comes with a portable lithium-ion battery that offers a range of 80 kilometers and a top speed of 60 kmph. It can be fully charged through a normal 5 Ampere slot in just two hours. With the help of artificial intelligence, the company has incorporated a host of smart features in the scooter.
Connected to a cloud server all the time, it enables the user to keep an eye on systems performance even while away. Servers analyze data through complex data analytic algorithms and suggest any upcoming service requirements. As the vehicle performs, aggregate rider and vehicle data help with customized vehicle updates which are delivered automatically on the touch dashboard display. User-centric mobile application provides a one-touch solution to control every aspect of a vehicle. The user can track the vehicle remotely, while the in-built Geo-Fencing allows security against theft. Vehicle automatically alerts the vehicle owner, once the vehicle is beyond the defined geographical boundaries, whereby the owner can shut it down using the smart APP.
"There are as many as 50 sensors in the vehicle. We have worked hard on the product to make it so unique that we see no competition for us in the market," says Vijay Chandrawat, the other partner of the firm.
"We are not dependent on the government to set up the infrastructure for our vehicle to succeed as Flow does not need charging points. The battery pack weighs just 10 kgs and can be easily dislodged from the vehicle. It can be charged at home or in office through a normal electric plug. If you need more range, another spare battery can be bought or leased."
The vehicle is expected to be priced at INR 65,000 to 70,000 and will be launched sometime in February next year. The company is expecting sales of 50,000 units in the first year. Its factory in Bhiwadi on the outskirts of Delhi has an annual capacity of 100,000 units.
