One look at the electric Kridn (pronounced Kree-Done, which in Sanskrit means ‘to play’) motorcycle and except for a box-like enclosure below the tank, there’s hardly anything unusual or exciting about it, in comparison to a conventional machine. The news of its export therefore does not click at once. Not, because it comes from a company that does not have a long legacy of automobile manufacture to boast of. A search about the company on the internet draws media reports, but the company website does not speak much about itself. It seems to speak more about the product rather than the company or its manufacturing infrastructure. A search concerning the company’s CEO, Gaurav Uppal, throws a Linkedin link. His previous ventures mark him as the co-founder of ‘Lets Score Soccer Stats’ app and then as the CEO of MapMyMeet iOS and Android App. This looks and sounds quite unlike how one would read the profile of Pawan Munjal, Managing Director, Hero MotoCorp, or that of Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director, Bajaj Auto. Perhaps that is where the magic of automotive electrification comes into play. There is no need for a manufacturing legacy of two-wheelers or a position of fame in the two-wheeler industry to be producing an electric two-wheeler.
Coming under the spotlight sometime last year, Noida-based One Electric, it does not take long to figure out, is a start-up. Like Ola or a Zomato, it is sans any baggage that a legacy manufacturer would carry. Add to this equation the announcement to invade the African market and things start to settle down. As of now, One Electric has started exporting its Kridn electric motorcycle to Kenya. Against a backdrop where an estimated three million electric vehicles were sold the world over in comparison to an estimated 17,000 EVs sold in 2010, the ambition of One Electric to invade four other African markets begins to make sense. Priced at INR 1.25 lakh approximately, the Kridn is touted as the fastest electric motorcycle in India. It is claimed to be capable of a top speed of 95 kmph. Exported to Africa with an eye on the bike-taxi segment there (it is called as ‘Bodaboda’), the Kridn is promising a big change. Stacked against the Chinese, it is, according to Gaurav Uppal, offering the African bike-taxi buyers a sustainable, profitable and eco-friendly alternative to what they are currently using.
The ‘African’ proposal
Stating that the Kridn is designed for tough road conditions, heavy loading and high temperatures, Uppal averred that it is capable of fitting into the African transport system, which is motorcycle intensive. Of the opinion that the Kridn is capable of answering the needs of African, Indian and South American users, he informed that the robust build of the Kridn is complemented by its comfortable seats, metal body and high power-speed capability. Emphasising that this is conducive enough to replace the stock petrol motorcycles Africans are using, Uppal explained that the Kridn can swap batteries, offer superior power and speed qualities, and can withstand heavy loading despite the rough road conditions that prevail in Africa. Claiming to be the first electric two-wheeler company to invade the African market, One Electric is working towards becoming a serious player in the African markets. It is keen to leverage the Kridn’s battery swapping technology to ensure that the bike-taxi operators are able to honour their timelines. Bike-taxi services are highly time sensitive. The option of battery swapping provides a convenient alternative to operate an internal combustion engine powered bike.
Drawing attention to the electric motorcycle’s design and manufacturing process, Uppal said, “We have a complete in-house design, prototyping, development and production setup.” “We make our moulds and dies,” he added. The manufacturing process of One Electric is such that once a design is finalised, a 3D print-out is taken to check the fitment and alterations. Two or three iterations are a part. A pattern is made thereafter and plastic moulds are embarked upon. It is similar for metal parts manufacture, except there is no 3D printing resorted to. There are other technologies that One Electric employs. Agile enough to adapt and improvise a motorcycle design, according to Uppal, the company boasts of over 80 percent localisation. It uses high quality components to produce the Kridn and is working to achieve 100 percent localisation. Known to use a Honda frame for reference to built its own, One Electric is confident of achieving the goal.
About Kridn
To ensure a robust build, the chassis of the Kridn is said to be two-to-three kg heavier than those of similar motorcycles. It is built in-house along with parts like the battery, tank and speedometer. With stress on utility rather than a funky look, the Kridn employs seat, suspension, throttle and switches, lights and tyres that are sourced from leading suppliers in India. The seat, for example, is sourced from Meenakshi Polymers, the same company that supplies to Hero MotoCorp. The lights are said to be supplied by Fiem Industries, which also is a supplier to Harley-Davidson and Royal Enfield. The suspension is claimed to be sourced from Munjal Showa, which enjoys a supplier status with Hero MotoCorp as well. The quantity of supply by Munjal Showa to Hero MotoCorp per month is said to be no less than half a million bike-pieces per month! The tyres are sourced from Ceat.
With One Electric known to own an IP right for the design, fuel tank and battery box cover of the Kridn, the cells of the battery pack for the electric motorcycle are claimed to be imported as of now. The motor controller and the single brake component are also said to be currently imported. The Noida plant of One Electric has the capacity to produce 1,000 units per month. A bigger plant at Pune and Delhi-NCR will soon elevate the count to 10,000 units a month, quipped Uppal. “Expect that to happen in the next three-to-four months,” he added. Aggressively pursuing localisation, One Electric is claimed to have two provisional patents for a new type of motor which is being developed locally. The company is said to hold six-to-seven IPs. Focusing on B2B segment in India, the company, completing multiple last-mile delivery trials, has started receiving LOI's for a pan-India rollout. Insisting on a limited presence in the B2C segment, it is aiming at a first-year deployment of close to 10,000 units.
The road ahead
Stating that the company did not avail of government subsidies due to the lack of suitable drivetrains in India, Uppal mentioned, “The invitation from states for setting up a manufacturing unit has boosted our morale.With the petrol prices rising, electric vehicles have an opportunity to draw people to them. On charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, Uppal averred that the lack of space to comfortably park the vehicle and charge is proving to be a limitation. “This is giving rise to technologies like battery swapping,” he stated. Expecting battery swapping and charging stations to come up, the way ahead, according to Uppal, will be ‘fast charging’ battery swapping stations. Several startups are focusing on that too, he informed. Of the opinion that one battery pack in a vehicle should have enough capacity to last at least two days, Uppal averred that his company is working on a battery tech that could help achieve this goal. It is doing so for its B2C consumers. For the B2B consumers, it is developing a separate infrastructure all together, consisting of ready charging at certain points in the city.
Facing a disruption due to Covid-19 in the form of factory shutdown and supply chain issues, One Electric is working to invade the European and South American markets by 2022. “The South American market,” said Uppal, “is similar to the Indian and African market.” “The European market at the other end is about high cost and quality components, about performance and more,” he added. To focus on the brand of lithium cells for its European strategy, the company, in India, is currently pushing the Kridn through 25 dealerships across six states. (MT)
- Bridgestone India
- Guinness World Records
- Stefano Sanchini
- Swapnil Dangarikar
India’s Electric Two-Wheeler Thrust
- by Aditya Gowda
- August 14, 2021
July 2021 was a month of much activity and announcements in the Indian electric two-wheeler industry. Much of it had to do with the announcement of Phase II of FAME II scheme by the Central Government, which seemed to favour the early adoption of electric two- and three-wheelers. Many states followed suit with a new or revised electric vehicle (EV) policy. Of the opinion that the new FAME II scheme will disrupt the two-wheeler market in India, Tarun Mehta, CEO and Co-founder, Ather Energy, said, “They could clock sales of over six million units by 2025.”
The increase in maximum subsidy limit from 20 to 40 percent in the case of initial acquisition cost has enabled electric two-wheeler OEMs to reduce the sticker price of their products a good deal. The arrangement is such that the government will reimburse the OEM the subsidy amount after it has sold the vehicle to its customer, the actual beneficiary. “Lowering the prices of electric scooters will help to persuade more riders to switch to an electric one,” said Jeetender Sharma, MD and Founder, Okinawa Autotech. Sohinder Gill, Director General, Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV), informed, “The Gujarat State Government’s subsidy of INR 20,000 for electric two-wheelers that cost up to INR 150,000 has a potential to make it an EV hub,” Referring to the Maharashtra EV policy, which provides a subsidy of INR 10,000 on an electric two-wheeler, Nagesh Basavanhalli, MD and CEO, Ampere Vehicles, remarked, “The policy will not only boost electric vehicle growth, it will also provide employment.”
Helping electric two- and three-wheeler proliferate, the Phase II of FAME II and the EV policies of various states, it is clear, are looking at attracting investments and employment opportunities. These policies are also looking at creating a self-sufficient (Atmanirbhar Bharat) ecosystem of fundamental manufacture – that of chips, battery cells, motors and controllers. India has the software but needs the hardware, mentioned a source. He pointed at Ola’s high voltage campaign for its e-scooter, and said that the real slog will start only after the plant is up and running. It will begin when the e-scooter hits the road and starts competing against numerous others. Stressing on the presence of equally capable global, regional and local players, he explained, it is as necessary to understand the psyche of the market as much as it is to have the technology and the money to invest. Carrying with them the image of being premium and technologically superior, the Ather e-scooters have been attracting attention for some time.
Its dealer from Maharashtra mentioned that awareness for electric two-wheelers is growing and the number of footfalls after the fuel price hike. Range anxiety, however, remains to be a challenge, he said. Across segments – Ather e-scooters are said to be premium offerings compared to others with a price premium of roughly INR 30,000 to INR 40,000. Range anxiety is a factor that is proving challenging to many. Especially along with the higher initial acquisition cost. The innovative technological achievements like a detachable battery pack that could be taken out for charging at home or in the office are helping to an extent. They are also highlighting the efforts of the electric two-wheeler OEMs to understand the dynamic regulatory and market requirements.
Investments in technology involving materials and sciences are yielding better products no doubt. With the emergence of demand for commercial-use electric three-wheelers, companies like Komaki are quick to respond. Its XGT CAT 2.0 e-bike with a 350 kg payload is designed to address the needs of e-commerce logistics companies like Delhivery and Ekart, and aggregator platforms like Swiggy and Zomato. Looking at maximum uptime and reliability in the last-mile space, commercial electric three-wheeler users, tasked with attacking as many pin codes and as many customers as they could in a strict time stipulation, are keen to control costs as well as reduce their carbon footprint. Leveraging IoT and AI to analyse data, they are choosing between Lithium-ion powered and lead-acid battery-powered electric two-wheelers. (MT)
Comments (0)
Add Comment- Pavna Industries
- Swapnil Jain
- Bajaj Auto
- Ola Electric
- Ashok Leyland
Suzuki Hayabusa Teased Ahead Of Premier On February 5th
- by Mt Bureau
- January 29, 2021
Japanese bike-maker, Suzuki, is set to showcase their iconic flagship motorcycle on February 5th. The Hayabusa, first launched in 1999, gained a massive cult following from eager fans all over the world. Once termed the world’s fastest production motorcycle, this superbike will soon be back in action.
The teaser, which runs 25 seconds long, shows glimpses of the 4-cylinder sports bike, on a bowl track, doing around 180 mph at 10,000 RPM, 1,000 RPM still left for its redline.
The Hayabusa still retains the analogue instrument cluster, an uncommon sight in today’s premium motorcycle market. The engine will meet the latest European (and consequently Indian) emissions regulations.
The world-wide unveil next week is expected to shed more light on the details of the motorcycle.
Comments (0)
Add Comment
JK Tyre is all set to host the 24th JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship (JKNRC) 2021 at the Kari Motor Speedway, Coimbatore on 23-24 Oct 2021. The event will also witness the debut of the Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup.
Royal Enfield has announced its debut into track racing with its flagship racing motorcycle – the Continental GT 650. Typically involving faired/sports motorcycles, the Continental GT Cup is India’s first retro motorcycle racing format. It is aimed at making track racing accessible for new entrants as well as experienced racers.
With over 300 aspirants applying for the race, 100 racers were shortlisted and invited to Coimbatore for the selection on Monday, 18 October. Making up the final racing roster are 18 riders who qualified for the races on Saturday and Sunday. Additionally, two media wild cards were also shortlisted for the race.
Riders from across the country took part in the qualifiers with Anfal Akdhar, a rider from Thirssur, topping the chart at 1:23.126 minutes, Anish Damodara Shetty, a well-known rider, also provided strong competition. Lani Zena Fernandez, a young lady from Puducherry, took the track by storm with her confidence on the track. Raivat Dhar, a young racer from Jammu, also made it to the final grid. With the majority of the racers being from Southern India, Raivat will represent the northernmost state of the country at the race on Sunday. (MT)
Comments (0)
Add Comment- Ultraviolette Automotive
- Vinayak Bhat
- Boeing
- Airbus
- Niraj Rajmohan
- Narayan Subramanian
- TVS Motor Company
Ultraviolette Automotive Elevates Vinayak Bhat As Chief Product Officer
- by MT Bureau
- August 20, 2024
TVS Motor Company-backed Ultraviolette Automotive, a premium electric motorcycle company, has promoted Vinayak Bhat to the position of Chief Product Officer.
In his new role, Bhat will be tasked to expand Ultraviolette’s product portfolio through the entire lifecycle from inception and design to development and market introduction. He will lead Ultraviolette's endeavours in broadening its product range and catalysing innovation in the high-performance EV space.
Vinayak Bhat said, "I've witnessed Ultraviolette's unwavering pursuit of innovation. My goal is to craft exceptional products for global markets through our strategy of vertical integration - specifically across critical elements like the battery technology, drivetrain and vehicle architecture. Our aim: redefine standards and solidify Ultraviolette’s position as a global leader in electric mobility."
Before assuming the role of CPO, Bhat served as the Technical Director and Principal Engineer at Ultraviolette. Since joining the company in 2017, he has played a pivotal role in the development of the F77 Mach 2 and F99 Racing Platform and overseeing coordination across all aspects of product development, engineering, operations, and manufacturing functions.
Narayan Subramaniam, CEO & Co-Founder, Ultraviolette Automotive said, "Vinayak's in-depth understanding of aerospace and electric vehicle technologies provides him with a unique perspective that will be critical in driving our culture of innovation. His leadership was instrumental in the successful launch of our flagship products - the F77 and the F77 Mach 2. I am confident that with Vinayak’s appointment as CPO, we will achieve newer heights in innovation and market penetration."
Bhat started his professional journey in 2013 at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as a structural engineer. Further transitioning to Safran Engineering as a design analyst, he is said to have contributed significantly towards key projects for Airbus and Boeing, with a focus on landing gears, nacelles, and fuselage components.
Niraj Rajmohan, CTO & Co-Founder, Ultraviolette Automotive said, "Vinayak has been instrumental in driving our product development initiatives. His exceptional technical prowess and exemplary leadership have been pivotal in realising our vision. As CPO, his visionary leadership will play a crucial role in our quest for global leadership in electric mobility. We eagerly anticipate the strategic direction he will provide, propelling us forward and opening new avenues for growth and innovation.”
Ultraviolette Automotive plans to introduce new products for multiple mobility segments over the next five years, targeting both domestic and international markets.
Comments (0)
Add Comment