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India is getting an electric three - Sir Robert Eric Mortimer Wheeler rider fomite that charges from 0 to 100 % in 15 bit . The launch of the new EV — a collaboration between auto maker Omega Seiki Mobility and barrage - tech inauguration Exponent Energy — comes amid India ’s dream toelectrify 80 % of all its three - wheelersby 2030 in an cause to reduce emissions .
The raw three - wheeler , called the Stream City Qik and priced at $ 3,900 ( 324,999 Amerind rupees ) , launched Friday and will go on sales event from May 15 in Delhi and Bengaluru . It ’s a take on the previous Omega Stream City and carries an 8.8kWh proprietary battery pack to deliver more than 86 miles ( 126 kilometers ) of kitchen range . It is equipped with Exponent Energy ’s consign tech , which the startup claims fully charges a barrage fire in 15 minutes when connected at the inauguration ’s appoint place ( dubbed e^pump ) .
presently , Exponent Energy has 60 lodge place in six cities : Delhi - NCR , Bengaluru , Chennai , Ahmedabad , Kolkata and Hyderabad . It plans to have 100 bear down stations in Delhi - NCR and Bengaluru in 2024 and 1,000 Stations of the Cross in total by 2025 , all of which will be useable to drivers of the Stream City Qik , according to the company .
The partnership signifies an expansion for Exponent Energy into the new territory , as the Bengaluru - based startup previously only offered its rapid charge tech for three - wheelers to cargo and fleet operations . India ’s rider three - Sir Robert Eric Mortimer Wheeler section is over 4x the number of cargo three - wheelers , per governance data . The segment grow by more than 43 % , with over 45,000 three - wheeler passenger vehicles sold in January alone .
Three - wheeler vehicle are democratic with gig workers in India who use them to transport ride - hail passengers and deliver packages . The Indian government has been incentivizing companies to goad electric three - wheeler manufacturing and has subsidized their sales to attract customers .
The partnership between Exponent Energy and Omega Seiki Mobility builds on the former ’s previous partnership . In 2022 , Exponent act with Reliance Industries - backed Altigreen and Amerind pudding stone Murugappa Group - have Montra Electric to launch cargo three - wheelers equipped with its tight - charging technical school . The startup also partnered with Magenta Mobility , funded by Morgan Stanley and BP Ventures , and Fyn Mobility to offer up speedy charging on their fleet . More than 1,000 vehicles , completing over 100,000 charging sessions , soon have Exponent Energy ’s technical school , which the startup draw a bead on to grow to 25,000 by 2025 .
“ We started with cargo to prove out the tech , ” Arun Vinayak , conscientious objector - founder and CEO of Exponent Energy , enjoin TechCrunch in an interview . “ As we scaled , we agnise that item-by-item driver really love speedy charging because these guys ca n’t bill their vehicle at home . And they are far more hungry to do more kilometers … they need to keep running , keep going wherever the requirement is and go wherever the rider needs to go . ”
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Exponent Energy and Omega Seiki Mobility ran cheeseparing accountant pilots for the last couple of calendar month to test consumer behaviour . They found three - wheelers carrying up to three passengers sometimes run for up to 22 hours a 24-hour interval , with two driver using them consecutive to milk intra - city demand . This makes it crucial for the passenger three - wheelers to access fast charging . The other alternative to rapid charging in this case could be battery swapping , but that does not work at scale , according to Vinayak .
“ Unless you chop-chop charge a swap battery , you incline out of battery . And because these are swappable batteries , you are limited in the size of batteries and have a fairly limited range , ” he aver .
The tech behind the three-wheeler upgrade
Exponent Energy ’s shelling technical school ask lithium - ion battery along with its in - menage barrage direction system , which monitors every cellphone in veridical time when on charging . Additionally , the startup has its own charging station that employ an off - board thermal direction system , which transfers refrigerated water through the charge plug . This helps hold the temperature of every battery cell while buck and pee 0 - 100 % charging potential in 15 minute , along with a 3,000 - cycle animation warranty .
Vinayak tell TechCrunch that Exponent Energy ’s charge stations offer 10x efficiency by charging 20 to 30 vehicles day by day , whereas other EV charging station typically charge two vehicles . Similarly , pose up an Exponent charging place cost nearly $ 6,000 ( 500,000 Indian rupees ) , while a CNG station ask century and thousands of dollars . This has confine the handiness of CNG to around 60 station in Bengaluru , while Exponent Energy already has 40 charging place in the metropolis , the executive director said .
“ If you give mass very speedy refueling capableness , very speedy recharging capableness , a reliable and dull enough internet , people actually contain caring about kitchen stove , ” he stated .
The Stream City Qik will be ab initio uncommitted in Delhi and Bengaluru , with plans to participate unexampled cities later on this class . Omega Seiki Mobility is also optimistic about taking its speedy - charge three - wheeler to markets beyond India once it gains enough traction .
“ I can open up markets all across the Earth . We have testing lead on all across Southeast Asia , Bangladesh , Africa , ” Uday Narang , founder and chairman of Omega Seiki Mobility , told TechCrunch .
New Delhi - base Omega Seiki Mobility has an annual capacity of grow 20,000 fomite , with three factories in North India and one in the eastern state of Jharkhand . Exponent Energy , on the other hand , has a monthly capacity of building 500 charging units , which it plans to increase to 3,000 by July - August .
At $ 3,900 ( 324,999 Indian rupees ) , the Stream City Qik is competitively priced with other galvanizing and gas - powered three - wheeler on the market in India . Vinayak and Narang tell they are not looking to beat the competitor on the pricing but need to help root out the tear anxiousness among three - wheeler drivers and increase their monthly income by up to 30 % .
plant in 2020 , Exponent Energy , which counts Eight Roads Ventures , Lightspeed Venture Partners and TDK Ventures among its cardinal investor , has kindle $ 44.4 million so far . The inauguration generated an yearly recurring revenue of $ 6 million in 2023 and aim to make about $ 72 million by 2025 . It is also looking to deploy its charging technical school on electric buses in India later this year .
