The electronic vehicle industry is catching up in India with the arrival of advanced e-vehicle models in the market.
With superior technologies and an efficiency level of 45 to 50 per cent, e-vehicles are largely preferred by customers especially for short distance travels, a top official of a
leading electric vehicles manufacturing company said here.
"At present, there is an encouraging trend among customers using petrol bikes for long distances and opting for electric vehicles for short distances," said Hemalatha Annamalai, CEO, Ampere Vehicles Private Limited.
Quoting the Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles, she said around 80,000 e-bikes were sold last year out of the total two wheeler sales of 86 lakh. This figure is expected to touch two lakh by 2012.
Two years into the successful manufacturing of e-vehicles, the company manufactures 22 models in the price range of Rs 18,000 to Rs 40,000 for regular models, she said, adding customized vehicles cost more depending on the type of
changes done.
The company has a factory in Sulur on the outskirts of the city with an investment of Rs 15 crore. She said there are plans to pump in another Rs 10 crore for its second unit here,
and focus on the user segment of youth in their 20s and elderly citizens.
As the world is nearing an oil crunch, the government should take measures to promote manufacturing of e-vehicles, Hemalatha said.