The two-wheeler rental platform for electric vehicles (EVs)
has acquired the rights to manufacture ‘Velocipedo’ — the smart electric trike or three-wheeler — from Spanish automotive company Torrot in India.This acquisition will give eBikeGo an entry into the luxury EV space. According to the company, Velocipedo is a smart electric trike that looks like a tadpole tricycle and is equipped with two front wheels and one rear wheel.
These vehicles will be manufactured in Pune starting from next year and will be available in three models: personal vehicle, Trick Taxi, and cargo vehicle. The first of the units are expected to be delivered in September 2022.
Velocipedo – the smart electric trike or three-wheeler
Irfan Khan, Founder and CEO of eBikeGo, said, “This acquisition will put the Indian EV industry on the global map. The future of mobility is electric and the post-covid world presents an opportunity for us to accelerate the adoption of electric mobility globally. With electric, digitally connected capabilities, three-wheelers will further emerge as the most preferred urban mobility paradigm around the world and will empower every consumer.”
The vehicle has a top speed of 95 kmph, a range per charge of 200 kilometres, and a curb weight of 180 kg.
Velocipedo is also being touted as a ‘connected’ vehicle, with its on board unit (OBU) monitoring its performance, location, and driver behaviour, as well as providing security and anti-theft features. All these features will be controlled via a dedicated app.
Last month, eBikeGo had announced the acquisition of Kustard Technologies — a UI/UX design studio and app development company — for $2 million. This acquisition is expected to help the company to build fleet management systems to aid in remote diagnostics of EVs to achieve preventative maintenance such as monitoring vehicle health, motor, battery, controller, etc.
Launched in 2017, eBikeGo is present in seven Indian cities. It aims to bring on the road a fleet of 200,000 bikes in about 100 cities across India.