Team-BHP - Now, Exide enters India's EV market with a three-wheeler rickshaw named Neo
Team-BHP

Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)
-   Commercial Vehicles (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/commercial-vehicles/)
-   -   Now, Exide enters India's EV market with a three-wheeler rickshaw named Neo (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/commercial-vehicles/214178-now-exide-enters-indias-ev-market-three-wheeler-rickshaw-named-neo.html)

Now, Exide enters India's EV market with a three-wheeler rickshaw named Neo-0_485_735_0_70_https___www.autocarpro.in_userfiles_e10d7d28749b41d7ae9d12ce9ea4b1e4.jpg

L-R: Gautam Chatterjee, MD & CEO, Exide Industries; Subir Chakraborty, Deputy MD and Arun Mittal, Director — Automotive, Exide Industries with the Exide Neo

Quote:

Exide Industries, one of the country’s largest stored energy solutions providers, today announced its entry into India's burgeoning e-rickshaw market by launching its first model called 'Exide Neo'. The e-rickshaw is being launched in select markets in India and will be available through its exclusive network of dealers, the company says.

Exide Industries says the marketing and service network for the Neo e-rickshaw has been already put in place in select markets. Exide Neo will be gradually available across the country in a phased manner.

Gautam Chatterjee, MD and CEO, Exide Industries, said: “The e-rickshaw category has seen phenomenal growth in India in the last few years and we have been an integral part of it since inception, through our offerings of robust lead-acid batteries. We see a tremendous opportunity to now offer a complete, technologically advanced package to the e-rickshaw operator that will be reliable with the least downtime."
Interesting times ahead with big names like Exide stepping in to the EV space.

More at Autocar Professional

Perhaps, they should just stick to making batteries and let others make vehicles. Those thin bicycle tyres look scary.

Gosh, this vehicle seems to be stuck in a time warp. What a hideous design and colour scheme. A look at the features on their website indicates some interesting features such as reverse camera, ABS roof, etc, but surely Exide could have come up with a better looking 3 wheeler.



Good initiative but really needs to be better looking to sell in some meaningful quantity.

You and I may dislike it for obvious reasons but I feel like the rural and semi-rural markets which are extremely cost-conscious and generally have lower expectations, might just take to it. Time will tell. I see it competing more with the locally produced e-rickshaws that ply even in Delhi as Metro feeders than the traditional Autorickshaw like the one that Bajaj or TVS make.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aaychat (Post 4675996)
rural and semi-rural markets

First of all, no one will dare get an electric auto in the rural market. First, lack of proper power supply. Next, fear of range. Autos in the countryside are used to haul heavy goods and also people travel 50 to 60kms on a ride too.

This is suited only in Delhi and large urban setups where the distance travelled is a few kms per ride.

The design looks like something done by a group of mechanical engineering students on a unpaid summer internship who started working 3 days before the date of report submission. Haven't seen vertical seats in a while.
Quote:

Originally Posted by Aditya_Bhp (Post 4676047)
...First, lack of proper power supply. Next, fear of range. Autos in the countryside are used to haul heavy goods and also people travel 50 to 60kms on a ride too

You're absolutely right- the product can't serve rural markets. Vegetables, a dozen people, chickens, multiple goats. What haven't I seen being carried in those giant diesel autos in villages?

Quote:

Originally Posted by landcruiser123 (Post 4676085)
The design looks like something done by a group of mechanical engineering students on a unpaid summer internship who started working 3 days before the date of report submission. Haven't seen vertical seats in a while.

Mechanical engineer agrees :uncontrol

I think it perfectly fine. Making the vehicle look better would mean to complicate its design hence driving up the cost of production. The rear tires do seem very thin, perhaps they're adequate enough for 30-40kmph.

Is there some rear width limitation on e-rickshaws? Can’t they make one at least as wide as a regular Bajaj or TVS rickshaw?
At this point,you have to hand it to Tata Motors. They may not have the cleanest looking designs,but they are willing to invest their(not so deep) bottom dollar to come up with some innovation or the other especially in the last few years.

The battery should be easily removable so that the owner can have 2 sets at a time. One in the rickshaw and the other is on charge to minimize the time wasted while charging.
Why does it have a starter handle on the floor like conventional CNG/Petrol rickshaws? Shouldn't it have a button start?

Quote:

Originally Posted by adi.mariner (Post 4676109)
Why does it have a starter handle on the floor like conventional CNG/Petrol rickshaws? Shouldn't it have a button start?

Where did you see a starter handle? That's a hande brake :)

Isn't this vehicle too narrow to be stable? They have made the back seat suitable strictly for 2, giving the 3rd seat behind the driver. Coupled with thin tyres and the way rickshaw drivers drive (sudden turns and jerks), this could be a quite an anxiety inducing ride

Quote:

Originally Posted by vamsi2390 (Post 4676139)
Where did you see a starter handle? That's a hande brake :)

Oh I thought it was a starter handle like a conventional rickshaw. Thank you for clarifying. :)

Guys, Exide understands the e-rickshaw market better than anybody. People will be surprised that Burhampur and not Delhi is the largest e-rickshaw market which is close to Exide HQ.

Exide batteries form the largest cost component in such a vehicle anyways. They have just forward integrated to get a pie of the market which is doing well.

This is a temporary, transitionary phase though. Soon Bajaj will launch the electric version of the RE and things will be difficult for such products (which have price as a strong USP, by the way)

This is just a cheap PR exercise, not really a portfolio expansion. This august forum should not even take cognizance of such press releases.


All times are GMT +5.5. The time now is 16:33.