Bounce launches Infinity E1 electric scooter, priced at Rs 68,999

Vehicle will be offered with a unique 'Battery as a service' option--the first in Indian market; firm is setting up another plant in the south, has kept $100 million for EV biz over the next one year

Bounce, the Bengaluru-based smart mobility solution company, reinforced its commitment to support India’s EV (electric vehicle) potential by unveiling its first consumer electric scooter, the Bounce Infinity E1. The Bounce Infinity E1 will be offered with a unique ‘Battery as a service’ option – the first of its kind in the Indian market.

The scooter with battery and charger is Rs 68,999 (Delhi Ex-showroom) and the price for Scooters with Battery-as-a-Service is priced at Rs 45,099 (Delhi Ex-Showroom) plus subscription to Battery-as-a-Service. Customers can pre-book this smart scooter by paying a minimal amount of Rs 499 which is totally refundable. Bounce Infinity E1 scooters are FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicle) II eligible.

“I strongly believe in the potential of electric vehicles in India – it is with this vision that we launched our in-house EV mobility solutions in June 2019,” said  Vivekananda Hallekere, CEO and co-founder of Bounce. “Today, we are building on our success, and to facilitate faster adoption of EVs, Bounce has taken a step ahead to develop the Infinity E1. We are committed to taking on all challenges to make India a leading EV adopter globally.”

Bounce is now in direct competition with electric two-wheeler makers, such as Ola Electric, Ather Energy, Hero Electric, Bajaj's Chetak, TVS Motor Company and Boom Motors. The firm, which is backed by marquee investors such as Accel, Sequoia and B Capital Group, a venture capital firm co-founded by Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin had raised over $220 million in total funding.

Bounce had acquired a 100 per cent stake in 22Motors in a deal valued at about $7 million in 2021, including its state-of-the-art manufacturing plant at Bhiwadi, Rajasthan that has an annual capacity to manufacture 180,000 scooters. Considering the potential of the Indian market, the company is planning to set up another plant in southern India. Bounce has set aside  $100 million to be invested in the EV business over the next one year.

Bounce said its customers have the choice of acquiring the Bounce Infinity E1 at a highly affordable price without the battery and use Bounce’s battery swapping network instead. Customers pay for battery swaps, whenever they swap an empty battery with a fully-charged one from Bounce’s extensive swapping network. This pushes the running costs of the scooter down substantially, by as much as 40 per cent compared to conventional scooters. The Bounce Infinity E1 will also be offered with the battery, which can be removed from the scooter and charged by customers at their home or office or wherever convenient.

“The Bounce Infinity E1 is designed and engineered to cater to the evolving needs of electric scooter customers in India,” said Hallekere. “Our advanced ‘Made in India’ scooter will come equipped with enhanced state-of-the-art equipment and intelligent features. We are glad to announce that we are the first and only ones to provide both options – to swap batteries from our network as well as charge-at-home – for the Infinity E1.”

Bounce has been setting up a wide battery-swapping network through prominent partnerships, which will serve both its retail customers and its successful ride-sharing business. The ambition is to build the world’s largest and densest battery swapping platform to support India’s transition to clean mobility, and offer a swapping facility within one kilometre distance for its customers.

The Bounce Infinity E1 comes in five colour options: Sporty Red, Sparkle Black, Pearl White, Desat Silver and Comed Grey. Pre-bookings start today, with deliveries slated for March 2022 through its dealership network and its online platform, for seamless deliveries across India.  It will come equipped with a comprehensive warranty of 3 years, up to 50,000 kms.

The Bounce Infinity E1 achieves elegance and simplicity while ensuring maximum performance. Convenience and safety have been kept in mind while delivering the ride for the commuter.  It has alloy wheels and digital speedometer, where style has been fused with smarts to create a smooth experience. The vehicle has a  12-litre boot to provide adequate storage space .It has E1 sports high-end projector headlights. All lights are modern LEDs that are elegant and designed with attention to detail. It is built on a tubular frame and features hydraulic telescopic front suspension and twin shock absorbers at the rear – optimised for ride comfort.

The Bounce Infinity E1’s system architecture has been enhanced with sensors and intelligent features.  A six-axis accelerometer, overvoltage/undervoltage protection, side stand sensor, battery, motor controller, VCU (vehicle control unit), and the display all talk to each other. There is a smart app, where user-centric mobile application provides a one-touch solution to control virtually every aspect of the scooter. One can connect and control the Infinity E1 via Bluetooth. The Infinity E1 can be tracked remotely. Battery charge status is also available. There is a geofencing option, where one can define the territory. The Infinity E1 will automatically alert you once it is outside your defined geographical boundaries. There is a drag mode that enables the scooter to move along at walking speed in case it has a puncture and one wants to push it along. A reverse mode allows one to move the scooter backwards for ease in getting out of tight parking spots. There is a cruise control feature, which keeps the scooter running at a steady speed, irrespective of the conditions and the terrain.

There is an antitheft feature, where Infinity E1 senses vibrations when left parked and can understand if it’s being tampered with. It locks its rear wheels in response to movement and makes it harder to move. The vehicle alerts you if it moves out of its parking zone and gets towed.  There are notifications alerts that this event is occurring and tracks your vehicle.

In terms of performance, the vehicle has torque of 83 Nm, top Speed of 65 kmph, 0 to 40 kmph in 8 seconds . There is Power Mode when you want to zip ahead in traffic. Eco mode when you have to travel long. User safety has been ensured by incorporating a twin-disc brake assembly. Disc brakes have been integrated with an electronic braking system to ensure a smooth and quick halt. The intelligent Electronic braking system (EBS) ensures superior braking performance and generates energy to recharge the battery each time you brake.

It has a battery solution for meeting the competitive demands of range and performance, especially in Indian climatic conditions. Advanced Lithium-ion packs manage heat efficiently to promise performance with safety and long life. The battery is waterproof and portable and can be charged by connecting to any regular electric socket. It takes 4 to 5 hours to charge and can cover  85 km per charge.

India’s electric vehicle market could be worth nearly $206 billion in the coming decade if India were to achieve its 2030 EV ambitions, according to an independent study released by the CEEW Centre for Energy Finance (CEEW-CEF). The report also estimates a cumulative investment need of over $180 billion in vehicle production and charging infrastructure until 2030 to meet the country's EV ambition.

Players such as Ola Electric, Ather Energy, Hero Electric, Bajaj's Chetak, TVS Motor Company and Boom Motors are betting big on this market.

Ather Energy, has commissioned its second manufacturing facility in Hosur to cater to the growing demand of its electric scooters - the 450X and 450 Plus. The company plans to manufacture 400,000 units per annum, a significant jump from its current capacity of 120,000 units. Ather Energy had set up its first manufacturing facility at Hosur earlier this year. In October, Ather Energy registered its best-ever monthly sales numbers, registering 12-fold growth over last year and achieving revenue run rate of $100 million, making it the largest EV maker by value in this segment.

SoftBank-backed Ola Electric said on Thursday that it has completed 20,000 test rides for its EVs. “Amazing work by the team in the largest such initiative ever in India, maybe even the world,” tweeted Bhavish Aggarwal, founder and CEO of  Ola. “We will get to more than 10,000 test rides a day in December across 1000 cities.”