NEW DELHI: Italian automaker Piaggio Vehicles marked its entry into India’s electric vehicle segment and launched electric three-wheeler Ape’ E-City priced at Rs 1.97 lakh. It plans to launch more electric products across various categories in future.
“Ape’, a brand with trust of more than 29 lakh customers, is paving way for the Indian electric revolution. Piaggio Group has a rich heritage of developing electric technology over the last 15 years, which we have leveraged to develop these class-leading products for India,” said Diego Graffi, MD and CEO, Piaggio Vehicles.
The company has tied up with Sun Mobility for battery and charging infrastructure. The partnership will see a network of 50 Sun Mobility Quick Interchange stations, which will be scaled across 10 cities in India by March 2020. The two firms will launch the Ape’ E-City in Chandigarh, Mohali and Gurugram in the first phase.
Piaggio has developed both swappable and fixed battery technology solutions for the new product. “For swappable technology, our partnership with Sun Mobility will enable customers to experience a very innovative, smart and unique swappable smart battery ecosystem in India,” Graffi said.
Piaggio has earmarked a total capital expenditure of Rs 300 crore for four years between 2018 and 2022 in the electric vertical. The investment on the new product is part of this capex. The company is also looking to export its electric product range to countries like Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, as well as some locations in Africa.
Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari, who launched the product, said it is great that the companies are now developing and launching electric products even without the government mandating them to do so. He added that the companies should also launch electric rickshaw models.