Kolkata : Amid the buzz about vehicular pollution and a regulatory push by the government, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) is looking to roll out an electric three-wheeler in at least seven or eight cities. The firm’s electric rickshaw is sold in Delhi, Lucknow and Kolkata at present.”We will be launching it in 7-8 cities in the next few months. It will be launched in a phased manner,” the company’s Vice President (Commercial Brands Marketing, Automotive Sector) Mahesh Kulkarni said on the sidelines of the launch of the electric three wheeler ‘e Alfa’ in Kolkata on Monday. Currently, the market size of the e-rickshaw is around 7,000-10,000 units per month, he said, but declined to comment on the market share that the company is looking at, reports PTI.
When asked about competition in the segment dominated by many unorganised players, he said, “It is very competitive. I do not think there is challenge for us to tackle on the price point. Providing back-end services would also be an important criterion. We thought it could be a price sensitive game but it is not that alone.”
Speaking on the norms for such electric three wheelers or electric rickshaws, he said the norms have been made “stricter” in the last couple of months and the registration of this vehicle has been made mandatory.
M&M’s e-rickshaw is currently being produced at its Haridwar plant and capacity would not be a constraint for the company, Kulkarni added.
The company claims their e-rickshaw can travel up to 85 km in standard conditions and achieve a top speed of 25 kmph on a full charge.
In value terms, the e-three wheelers market in the country is estimated at around Rs 1,000 crore, as per market estimates. Kulkarni claimed M&M has 30 per cent market share in the small commercial vehicles market.
