[HammerHead]

So basically its going to compete with these contraptions and many more !!

[AJITHAAA]

The heaviest components on the contraption which deserves a redesign are the EXIDE and NEO emblems.

'JEZZA', dedicated to Jeremy Clarkson...

[srini1785]

They have some rationale behind the move. Battery is the most important part of a EV and its their playing field. Lets face it, you don't need to be a design genius to design a contraption like "JEZZA" or any such thing and the factor that is going to win is the battery. So, get the logic?.

[clevermax]

This vehicle comes with a lead-acid battery it seems.

https://docs.exideindustries.com/pdf/NEO-leaflet.pdf

Nowhere they have mentioned the range and charging time for the battery. Looks like they are not really ready to sell this vehicle yet, but just doing a PR.

[snan]

Gosh ! I almost thought this was some kind of spoof ! I just don't see how this design makes a stable ride at reasonable speeds to be of any use. Wonder who is the product team here and what was the mandate given to them. Maybe its best for Exides of the world to take equity in people who seems to know what they are doing (e.g. Ather) and create a separate company for forward integration from battery. Ather-Exide E rickshaw JV ! I don't think those three gentlemen standing there are too excited by what they are showing !

[gauravanekar]

The disdain shown by our members is uncalled for. The product and it's design is just right for the market it is being sold in. I am a bangalorean and recently I moved to Jaipur. It's here in Jaipur i could get a close look at these electric 3 wheelers, I feel that these 3 where drivers have perfectly married their 3 wheelers capabilities/drawbacks to their business model.
Without going into much details, I feel cost of purchase of these machines is one of the most crucial component in their equation. I feel exide has done the right thing.

For people from the south, please don't make the mistake of comparing these autos with the Bajaj REs or the TVS kings

[sankhadeepb]

It was good to see multiple comments on this Exide product. But to be fair with the company, you all should some day visit all the suburban areas of West Bengal, UP , Bihar and even Delhi. Presently these are catered by Chinese sourced vehicles and are a hit product in the 1.2 price bracket. Such competitiveness is difficult to achieve with a more robust designed product. Even M&M came up witha similar product a year ago. (Pic enclosed).
This is indeed a way to cater the fast growing E-Rickshaw market.

[Iyencar]

I have seen Wiley Coyote order better looking vehicles from Acme Corporation. Btw, the stock exide battery in my i10 conked off just outside of the warranty and is of course not covered under the extended warranty. Like hell I would trust these guys to make a fully battery operated rickshaw.

[Starfire]

Rumour has it that Euro-NCAP has given this vehicle 6 stars in adult occupant and pedestrian safety protection. Not to mention, a child becomes superman, goes flying out of the window and acts as a projectile to a passerby walking nearby.

Jokes apart, three-wheelers were never meant to look good or be comfortable. They purely serve as a short distance urban commuter to the public. And sometimes a workhorse in the villages. Not sure how battery-operated power is going to handle overloading both with people and goods in villages.

[fz_rider]

There is nothing new in terms of designing the vehicle, but what Exide can bring is proper maintainance channel.
Most of the electric 3 wheelers are just sold, with no guarantee of proper service. Even it's not as economical as is sounds, takes hours to recharge and has a limited run for the day.

[PearlJam]

Originally Posted by gauravanekar

The disdain shown by our members is uncalled for.

Fully agree.

Let me stick my neck out and say that this has really good potential.

• Exide is a well known brand name, so reliability and parts may not be an issue
• Running costs would be very less for heavy use
• Safety is not a concern for the target masses, so please let's not get into this bhpians' pet topic
• No real competition
• Thin tyres, ugly looks (have you noticed Ashok Leyland "Dost"?), or whatever, nobody in that segment cares.
• This segment is smart enough to coldly evaluate the product based on cost vs benefit, and probably nothing else.

Let me admit that I hope Exide succeeds in this!

[frewper]

Wow. First thing I read on team bhp and I have to see this poor ugly thing. Guess Mr. Rajeev Bajaj's rant about anything now wanting to make an electric vehicle, this is one of the reasons. It will obviously be irritating when you as a company are required to make good quality electric vehicles and then competition comes up with this. Will get even more irritating if this gets sold in decent numbers.

Bajaj even if the marked demands cannot make something as low quality as this. There should be some standards on safety for the electric rickshaws that are coming out these days. Looks like Exide had an RnD budget of three interns. This is absolute crap.

[Caramba]

I agree that there may be a market. But why is this market not regulated like others. For cars we even have the requirement for speed warnings, for road users high fines all in the interests of safety and to a large extent justified.

But why do Bajaj and TVS get to continue with autos and quadricycles, why do these e-rickshaws get to pass of these metal structures as vehicles safe for use. I understand that there is a cost element but how does that apply only to one segment? Sorry for the rant but the duplicity is irritating .

[sumathindra]

This is quite a contraption.

Absolutely ZERO safety features and this is going to be one hell of a scary ride. What I don't understand is how these guys get permissions to venture into a segment new to them and practically no experience at all.

[superbad]

I'm surprised by the negative reactions from people. What else were we expecting from a public transport product which is expected to seat 4, run on electricity & cost a few dozen thousand rupees? Especially knowing that the batteries would be more than half the cost?