YObyke - Battery Powered Two-Wheeler
Sunday, October 8, 2006
Ahmedabad based induction melting furnace maker Electrotherm India Ltd. has introduced the YObyke - a battery powered two-wheeler.
One does not need a licence for this gearless, noiseless and non-polluting vehicle. A 4-to-6 hour recharge is good for 40 to 50 km. The cost is claimed to be 15 to 18 paise per km as against Re. 1 per km for a regular scooterette.
Approved by the Automotive Research Association of India in the below-25-cc or 250-watts category, the maximum speed is 25 km per hour. The price: Rs. 14,000 to Rs. 23,000, depending on the model. The bike has only a 75-kg capacity, so pillion riding will be difficult. Its hub motor is based in the centre of the rear wheel, so it is exposed to waterlogging in the monsoon.
Electrotherm's Rs. 25-crore project will manufacture 120,000 units per year at Samakhiyali in Kutch. Electrotherm will make the controllers and the motors and the batteries and body will initially be imported from Japan, Korea and China. The company also plans to launch an electric three-wheeler designed by Piyush Sharma, a student of Ahmedabad's National Institute of Design (NID). Cost: Rs. 80,000 (the conventional costs Rs. 120,000). Weight: 210 Kg. Cost per km: 30-35 paise. The three-wheeler will need four hours of charging and run for 110 kms with a full battery. It does not have any foot control and can be driven by physically challenged people.
Labels: Automobile
