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October 07, 2008 09:31 IST
After launching India's first Automotive Research Association of India approved electric two wheeler in the 750 watts category, Electrotherm (India) Ltd plans to set up a network of battery charging stations under the franchisee model in major cities.
The Ahmedabad-based company plans to collaborate with local garage owners in installing battery charging stations at a radius of around three kms. Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore are some of the cities identified for setting up battery stations.
The initiative is planned to be implemented during the first quarter of 2009.
Electrotherm's YO Speed, the 750 watt bike comes with a 33 AH battery and lasts for about two years, covering around 30,000 kms. The battery costs around Rs 8,000-10,000.
It generally takes around seven hours to charge the lead-based battery. Pradeep Dugar, Head-Sales & Distribution, Electrotherm believes that the initiative would help generate more buyers for the product in the wake of high fuel costs.
The cost of charging is Rs 4 per unit.
The move comes after the ministry of New and Renewable Energy's recent announcement that it is working on the possibility of offering subsidies to those companies which set up a network of battery charging stations.
Electrotherm plans to increase its dealership network from 11 to 21 in Karnataka in the next few months. "We are expecting a growth of 20-25 per cent from Karnataka for electric two wheelers," said Dugar who announced the launch of the company's second dealership in Bangalore.
Abhijit Bose, head-business development, Electrotherm said that the company plans to add more than 24 new dealerships to the existing 32 dealerships by March 2009.
YO Speed is priced at Rs 36,000 while YO Smart, the 250 watt two wheeler comes with a price tag of Rs 27,000 (ex-showroom, Bangalore).
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