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Electric two-wheeler Yobyke takes India by storm
Wednesday, 27 January 2010, 15:22 IST |
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Ahmedabad: Yobykes have become synonymous with electric two-wheelers just as Xerox has been to photocopiers and DHL to couriers. For Electrotherm India (EIL), makers of Yobyke and India's largest manufacturer of electric battery operated two-wheelers; the project is more of a passion towards petrol-free cities, reports the Economic Times.
"I believe in the technology and know that there is no alternative to EVs (Electric vehicles)," Mukesh Bhandari, Chairman and Chief Technical Officer of the 
2,000-crore Ahmedabad-based engineering major EIL, told Economic Times. A national player since 2006, EIL has till now sold over 75,000 Yobykes. "The competence and expertise of the company in power electronics give us an edge over others," asserts Bhandari, who has invested 150 crore in his dream project since 2003-04. "From 5 crore that was sanctioned to me by my board in 2004-05, I set up two assembly lines to churn out one lakh units per annum. I do not go by figures and what critics say because I believe in the technology and dream of a city free of petrol bikes," adds Bhandari, who worked with BHEL and a textile machinery manufacturing company before setting up Electrotherm.
Initially, Bhandari worked on a hybrid bus model and showed the prototypes to the industry. But no one seemed interested. He wanted to replace 10 cars with one such hybrid bus, which could have found a place in public transport system. As there were no takers for his idea, Bhandari then thought of two-wheelers. His logic - "A car usually carries one person on an average and occupies more space. So, let's try with two-wheelers."
Yobyke's no-petrol revolution clicked with the consumers who were frequently burdened with hike in petrol prices. Currently, the company has seven electric bike variants of which two are high-speed variants. It plans to introduce two more scooters in the same segment during 2010. The high-speed segment will account for two-thirds of the sales within the next two years. About 60 percent of company's sales come from high-speed (more than 250W motor power) variants like YOspeed and YOEXL-Er, says Vice- President and SBU Head-Auto Arun Pratap Singh. Low-speed (250W motor power) models such as YOsmart, YOelectron, YOxplor-ER has caught the fancy of school students who need not get licenses to drive, he adds. Delhi is the biggest market for electric bikes for EIL accounting for 20 percent of its net sales followed by West Bengal at 15 percent.
Armed with a degree in electrical engineering, Bhandari devotes about 16 hours every day on Yobyke, working out various permutations and combinations to improvise upon the EV technology. He travels to various destinations to learn about the technology and shuttles between the company headquarters at Ahmedabad and his manufacturing facility in Kutch and China to oversee operations. As for the worthiness of the vehicles, none other than Bhandari's brother and Managing Director of the company, Sailesh Bhandari, continues to test ride the vehicles before okaying them till date! "He is the toughest customer for the company," says Singh.
However, the electric two-wheeler market is still at a nascent stage in India. As per the Society for Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles, the sales of electric two-wheelers in India are expected to double in next two years from nearly 1,20,000 bikes in 2009 to 2,40,000 bike in 2011 and 3,20,000 e-bikes in 2012. EVs, including Electrotherm's Yobykes, Hero Electric, TVS Motor and Oreva's E-bike, share a mere one percent pie of the nine million two-wheeler domestic market sales annually, and has seen exit of several unorganised players (who would import batteries from China and assemble EVs locally).
With more than 200 dealers selling the EVs through Yoworld across India and 320 YOservice points to offer after-sales service, the company recently introduced alpha weaver technology-based batteries for its scooters. The 'alpha-weaver' battery, as against the lead-acid batteries, will increase the travel range of the electric bikes from 70 kilometers (km) for a single charge to over 105 km. It will also bring down the charging time from eight to four hours, says Bhandari.
"There is so much to be done with the technology. As for myths surrounding the size, price and charging time of the EV batteries, as and when the technology gains widespread acceptance, prices would come down. Until then, you have to keep giving options to the customer," Bhandari explains. The company is keen to start a battery-manufacturing facility in India in near future.
2,000-crore Ahmedabad-based engineering major EIL, told Economic Times. A national player since 2006, EIL has till now sold over 75,000 Yobykes. "The competence and expertise of the company in power electronics give us an edge over others," asserts Bhandari, who has invested 150 crore in his dream project since 2003-04. "From 5 crore that was sanctioned to me by my board in 2004-05, I set up two assembly lines to churn out one lakh units per annum. I do not go by figures and what critics say because I believe in the technology and dream of a city free of petrol bikes," adds Bhandari, who worked with BHEL and a textile machinery manufacturing company before setting up Electrotherm.
Initially, Bhandari worked on a hybrid bus model and showed the prototypes to the industry. But no one seemed interested. He wanted to replace 10 cars with one such hybrid bus, which could have found a place in public transport system. As there were no takers for his idea, Bhandari then thought of two-wheelers. His logic - "A car usually carries one person on an average and occupies more space. So, let's try with two-wheelers."
Yobyke's no-petrol revolution clicked with the consumers who were frequently burdened with hike in petrol prices. Currently, the company has seven electric bike variants of which two are high-speed variants. It plans to introduce two more scooters in the same segment during 2010. The high-speed segment will account for two-thirds of the sales within the next two years. About 60 percent of company's sales come from high-speed (more than 250W motor power) variants like YOspeed and YOEXL-Er, says Vice- President and SBU Head-Auto Arun Pratap Singh. Low-speed (250W motor power) models such as YOsmart, YOelectron, YOxplor-ER has caught the fancy of school students who need not get licenses to drive, he adds. Delhi is the biggest market for electric bikes for EIL accounting for 20 percent of its net sales followed by West Bengal at 15 percent.
Armed with a degree in electrical engineering, Bhandari devotes about 16 hours every day on Yobyke, working out various permutations and combinations to improvise upon the EV technology. He travels to various destinations to learn about the technology and shuttles between the company headquarters at Ahmedabad and his manufacturing facility in Kutch and China to oversee operations. As for the worthiness of the vehicles, none other than Bhandari's brother and Managing Director of the company, Sailesh Bhandari, continues to test ride the vehicles before okaying them till date! "He is the toughest customer for the company," says Singh.
However, the electric two-wheeler market is still at a nascent stage in India. As per the Society for Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles, the sales of electric two-wheelers in India are expected to double in next two years from nearly 1,20,000 bikes in 2009 to 2,40,000 bike in 2011 and 3,20,000 e-bikes in 2012. EVs, including Electrotherm's Yobykes, Hero Electric, TVS Motor and Oreva's E-bike, share a mere one percent pie of the nine million two-wheeler domestic market sales annually, and has seen exit of several unorganised players (who would import batteries from China and assemble EVs locally).
With more than 200 dealers selling the EVs through Yoworld across India and 320 YOservice points to offer after-sales service, the company recently introduced alpha weaver technology-based batteries for its scooters. The 'alpha-weaver' battery, as against the lead-acid batteries, will increase the travel range of the electric bikes from 70 kilometers (km) for a single charge to over 105 km. It will also bring down the charging time from eight to four hours, says Bhandari.
"There is so much to be done with the technology. As for myths surrounding the size, price and charging time of the EV batteries, as and when the technology gains widespread acceptance, prices would come down. Until then, you have to keep giving options to the customer," Bhandari explains. The company is keen to start a battery-manufacturing facility in India in near future.