BGauss, the electric vehicle business of wire major RR Global, has launched its latest offering the RUV350 e-scooter at prices starting INR 109,999 (ex-showroom). 

The company claims that the unique e-scooter has been completely designed keeping in mind the diverse needs of the Indian consumer, with the potential target customer in the 22-years to 42-years age bracket. 

In an interaction with the media, Hemant Kabra, Founder & MD, BGauss said that the IC-two-wheeler segment bike market, used to see the motorcycle segment making up 60 percent of sales, while the remaining 40 percent came from the scooter segment. But in the electric two-wheeler space, the e-motorcycle segment hardly makes up for less than one percent share.

“We believe that by 2030 or 2032 e-scooters should be around 60 percent of the market share, RUV350 as a category should be around 25 percent of the market share, and the remaining will come from e-motorcycles,” said Kabra. 

The RUV350 is a unique product, which in form factor looks like a scooter, but comes with the largest in the scooter segment wheels (16-inch) and seat design focussing on rider comfort. 

BGauss aims to sell 50,000 electric scooters (all models combined) in FY2025, and 100,000 units by FY2026.

Performance and features

The BGauss RUV350 is powered by the company’s patented high-performance InWheel hyperdrive motor, which is claimed to offer 90.2 percent power efficiency (amongst the highest). The minimal energy loss results in superior efficiency and enhanced performance. This innovative design enables powerful and smooth acceleration, essential for navigating urban environments with ease.

The e-scooter comes with metal body that not only enhances durability but also provides an additional layer of safety for the rider. While the under-seat storage is not amongst its strongest point, the RUV350 can easily accommodate an open-face helmet; a storage box under the rider's feet provides storage for the standard charger, while some nifty smart pockets provide storage for handy stuff in the front. 

The RUV350 comes in 3 variants – 350i EX; 350 EX and 350 Max – priced at INR 109,999; INR 124,999 and INR 134,999 respectively (you can read the tech specs below). Interestingly, the first two variants come with a removable battery, while the 350 Max has a fixed battery. 

Except for the base variant, the RUV350 gets a digital display that provides real-time information such as call notifications, turn-by-turn navigation, live vehicle tracking, geo-fencing, vehicle immobilisation, dual theme, photometric adaptive display for day and night mode, document storage, speed, battery status, and range, ensuring riders have all necessary information readily available. Furthermore, the vehicle includes connectivity features like Bluetooth and telematics enabling riders to stay connected and navigate with ease. 

Battery swapping and exports

Responding to a query on whether BGauss would explore battery swapping or ‘battery as a service’ model, Kabra said that the company was in discussions with some companies, but did not get into exact details, thus opening the possibility of potential new partnership on the cards. 

Moreover, given the e-scooter’s dynamics and design, which may be a new category for India, the potential BGauss sees for the RUV350 is also in the export market. Kabra reveals that while the company was not currently exporting its EVs to any country, with the RUV350, “Europe, Southeast Asia and SAARC region are a probable opportunity.”

In terms of expansion, the company aims to double almost all its dealerships from the current 100-plus to 200 by end-FY2025. 

Lastly, when asked about new investments, Kabra revealed that BGauss had secured an investment of INR 2 billion recently, for which it will be sharing the details in the coming months. 

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has placed an extra order for 148 electric buses from Tata Motors, the biggest commercial vehicle manufacturer in India. This purchase comes after BMTC placed an earlier order for 921 electric buses, the majority of which have been delivered and are operating effectively with an uptime of more than 95 percent.

The Tata Starbus EV 12-metre low-floor electric buses will be supplied, operated and maintained for a term of 12 years by TML Smart City Mobility Solutions Ltd, a completely owned subsidiary of Tata Motors. With its best-in-class features and outstanding design, the Tata Starbus EV offers a pleasant and environmentally friendly commute. These zero-emission electric buses are built on cutting-edge battery technologies and next-generation design to provide a convenient, safe and comfortable intra-city journey around Bengaluru.

Ramachandran R, IAS, MD, BMTC, said, "We are happy to further strengthen our partnership with Tata Motors with these additional 148 electric buses for our fleet modernisation. The performance of the existing Tata electric buses has been exceptional, aligning perfectly with our commitment to sustainable and efficient public transportation. The larger e-bus fleet will significantly enhance our capacity to provide eco-friendly, comfortable and reliable services to the citizens of Bengaluru."

Asim Kumar Mukhopadhyay, CEO and MD, TML Smart City Mobility Solutions Limited, said, "We are honoured by BMTC's continued trust in our e-mobility solutions. This additional order of 148 buses is a testament to the proven success of our Starbus EVs and the operational excellence delivered in Bengaluru's urban environment. We remain committed to delivering innovative solutions that benefit both the community and the environment."

Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL), the country's largest passenger vehicle manufacturer, has shared the teaser image for its first electric vehicle product - the e Vitara.

Set to be unveiled at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025, the e Vitara will be made in India for the world. It was recently unveiled by Suzuki Motor Corporation at Milan, Italy.

Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India, said, “The e Vitara is a testament of our unwavering commitment to sustainable mobility and technological innovation. With decades of automotive expertise, we have combined advanced electric technology with a customer-first approach to deliver something truly transformative. At Maruti Suzuki, we have always believed that to promote EV adoption, we need to create a holistic ecosystem that simplifies customers' battery electric vehicle ownership journey.”

“A critical barrier to the adoption of EVs is the lack of accessible charging. To tackle this issue, we are committed to introduce a reliable and comprehensive EV ecosystem alongside the e Vitara. This will include home charging solutions as well as a nationwide network of fast chargers available at Maruti Suzuki dealerships and service touchpoints. Our goal is to make EVs accessible, convenient, and appealing to a broader set of customers, and this is exactly what we have set out to achieve with the e Vitara,” he added.

​​Vadodara-headquartered electric vehicle company WardWizard Innovations & Mobility recently launched its new range of EV offerings, which it expects to give a new charge to its retail sales.

It was on 13 December 2024 the Joy e-rik V1 (L5) and Joy Bandhu (L3) electric three-wheelers in the passenger category and Joy Sahayak + Cargo (L5) and Joy Eco Loader (L3) in the electric three-wheeler cargo space were launched by the EV maker, thus marking its entry into the fast-growing electric three-wheeler space.

The Joy e-rik V1, priced at INR 385,000 (ex-showroom), comes with 10.24 kW li-ion battery, 50 kmph max speed and 140 km claimed range on a full charge. It can be charged in 4.5-5 hours using the 50 Amp charger.

The Joy Bandhu priced at INR 134,000, uses a 7.2 kW lead-acid battery, has a claimed range of 120 km and top speed limited to 25 kmph.

On the other hand, the Joy Sahayak + Cargo, priced at INR 424,000, is targeted for payload capacity of 650 kg + driver, max speed of 50 kmph, up to 130 km range on a single charge. It uses a 10.2 kW LFP li-ion battery and can be charged in four hours using 50 Amp charger. The Joy Eco Loader, on the other hand, comes with a payload capacity of 310 kg + driver and is priced at INR 130,000.

At present, electric three-wheeler sales in India are averaging 56,674 units a month (CY 2024) as compared to 47,204 units last year. What’s also driving the sales is the government incentives like the Centre’s PM E-Drive scheme that provides demand incentives to support purchase of 316,000 e-three-wheelers including e-rickshaws. They are entitled to a subsidy of INR 25,000 in the first year and INR 12,500 in the second year. For the L5 category (cargo e-three-wheelers), the incentive is INR 50,000 per unit in the first year and INR 25,000 the next.

For the Vadodara-based EV maker, the idea to enter the electric three-wheeler space is on the back of the growing demand for greener last-mile delivery as well as last-mile mobility connectivity options.

Interestingly, it has already onboarded 27 dealerships that will focus on selling electric three-wheelers. Furthermore, it will also provide preference for its around 900 existing dealer and network partners to sell its new offerings.

For FY2025, WardWizard Innovations & Mobility estimates to sell around 50,000 units of electric vehicles across electric two-wheelers (low speed and high speed) and three-wheelers (L3 & L5) in India. It estimates that the sales will grow by 22-24 percent YoY in FY2026.

While it has recently entered the e-three-wheeler space, the company expects the new products to have around 30-35 percent share in its overall sales starting from FY2026.

On the other hand, reducing its reliance on low-speed electric two-wheeler category, the company also introduced a new high-speed e-scooter ‘Nemo’. Priced at INR 99,000 (ex-showroom), it comes with a 40 Ah NMC li-ion battery and a 1,500W DC brushless hub motor that gives it a max speed of 65 kmph. It has a claimed range of 130 km on a single charge in Eco mode. The e-scooter uses a digital speedometer, 5-inch full-colour TF display and projector LED headlight. The company has targeted a modest 2,000 units sales for Nemo in the next three months.

The EV maker currently has an installed capacity to produce 73,000 electric two-wheelers, 7,300 L5 electric three-wheelers and 18,250 L3 electric three-wheelers per annum. The company claims that apart from some plastic components and cells being imported, everything has been localised.

It further aims to start manufacturing its own batteries in the next one year in Vadodara, for which the pilots are underway.

Ahmedabad-based electric mobility start-up Matter was recently awarded the 10th CII Industrial IP Award 2024 at the CII Annual Summit on Technology, Intellectual Property, and Industry-Academia Partnership, held on 12th and 13th December in New Delhi.

The recognition was on the back of the company’s robust portfolio of over 300 patent applications and 58 granted patents in areas such as powertrain cooling, gearbox technologies, charging infrastructure, and manufacturing automation.

The EV maker is the first to launch a geared e-motorcycle called ‘Aera’, which it expects will play a key role in driving higher adoption of green vehicles in the motorcycle space.

Kumar Prasad, Founder and CTO, Matter, said, "Innovation has always been at the heart of Matter’s vision. This award reaffirms our commitment to redefining the electric mobility sector with pioneering research and development. We are proud to contribute to India’s vibrant IP ecosystem and continue driving technological advancements for a sustainable future."