Lohia Auto Industries plans to launch electric three-wheelers by September this year. The yet to be named model will be launched in passenger and commercial variants. “The electric three-wheeler model will help in cheaper city travel. We have invested Rs 20 crore for a new assembly line for manufacturing three-wheelers at our factory in Uttarakhand,” Ayush Lohia, chief executive of the Uttrakhand-based electric two-wheeler maker, said.
The model will be developed with 95 per cent local content and will compete with light commercial vehicles like Tata’s Ace. He said light commercial vehicles are generally used for a range of 100 km a day in a city and their usage could be rendered cheaper with an electric model.
Lohia said the company has written to the ministry of new and renewable energy seeking subsidy or cash benefits. The ministry has already granted cash benefits of Rs 5,000-6,000 on sale of electric two-wheelers and up to Rs 100,000 on sale of electric four-wheelers in December last year till the end of FY 2011-12 as part of the 11th five-year plan.
NK Lohia-promoted Lohia Group with roots in textiles and engineering plastics business. The company sold 5,000 units of electric two-wheelers in 2010-11 and aims to sell 9,000-10,000 units in 2011-12, said Lohia. “We plan to have 50 dealers in place including south India by the end of this fiscal,” Lohia said. The company is also looking to export its two-electric scooters Fame and O-Star to the UK, the US and Italy later this financial year through local distributors.
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