BSA Motors rolls out 5 e-scooter models

To complete pan-India launch by 2010.

BSA Motors, a strategic business unit of Tube Investment of India which is part of the Rs 10,000-crore Murugappa Group, on Monday launched five models of e-scooters in Chennai. The new models -- Smile, Street rider, Diva, Roamer and Roamer plus — will be powered by 250, 500 and 800 watts motors and will be available in the price range of Rs 29,000 to Rs 37,000.

KB Srinivasan, general manager of BSA Motors, said initially, the company would introduce the vehicles in the southern states including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Puducherry apart from Goa. The pan-India launch will be completed by March 2010.

The electric scooters market, which is growing at 40 per cent and could find 150,000 customers in 2007-08 in India, is expected to triple in the next five-six years.

The company plans to make 150 units a day and would double the capacity next year to reach a sales target of 60,000 vehicles by 2009. It will appoint 75 dealers in the south and ramp it up to 150 in two years.

Srinivasan said the company would initally invest Rs 20 crore for designing and testing of new vehicles, which will help in developing an indigenous electric motor. It has also tied-up with Chola DBS, Sundaram Finance for retail financing and with ICICI Lombard for insurance.

The company currently sources most of the key parts such as motor, controller, battery, lamps, wheel discs, tyres and tubes from overseas vendors in Korea and Taiwan among others.