Lectrix Motors pins hopes on e-bike segment

The 125cc bike sales may have surged 14 per cent in the first quarter of fiscal 2009 and motorbike sales as a segment 11 per cent, but electronics bikes or e-bikes can change the scenario with Indian and international companies betting big on the new segment.

Lectrix Motors Limited (LML),a Delhi-based SAR group company and a sister concern of Luminous Power Technologies Private Limited (LPTPL) is betting big on the group's first e-bike launch this October-end.

Sunil Bhalla, director, LPTPL, pointed out, "The e-bike market in India is at a very nascent stage and currently enjoys only two per cent of the total two wheeler market, but this would rise to 25 per cent by 2010-12 with the growth of total two wheeler market to 250 lakh units sold per year. There is enormous potential in this market, left untapped due to few players in the e-bike segment in the country.”

LML would be eyeing a turnover of Rs 1,000 crore, over and above LPTPL's own turnover by the end of financial year 2012-13 and a market share of close to 30-40 percent in the e-bike segment, he added.

The group also plans to bring in 2-3 other variants in the market based on the market feedback within the next six months.

The Lectrix e-bike run entirely on lead acid batteries is expected to have an average life cycle of one and a half to two years, the bike thus on an average would run 21,000 km on a new battery unit and the cost of replacement would be only Rs 7,000 after two years, thus making it economical and affordable.

"The cost of using the e-bike would be as low as only 10 paise per kilometre, a single charge for 6-8 hours would last 60-65 kilometres, it is economical compared to maintenance and fuel cost of a two wheelers for two years and being zero emission it would be the obvious answer to the increasing pollution worries, said Bhalla.

Targetted at urban and suburban markets where the daily average travelling distance was between 40-50 kilometres it was expected to be a hit with school and teenage kids, urban working women, housewives mainly, costing Rs 29,000.

LML would be initially rolling out 3,000 vehicles per month from LPTPL's manufacturing facility in Himachal Pradesh and would scale up the capacity to 6,000 vehicles per month if demand arises.

More than 250 dealers have been roped in to market the product in North India. Once the company consolidated its sales in the North, it would go pan-India by 2009.