EV start-up Twenty Two Motors bags Rs 10 crore funding, plans affordable, hi-tech scooter

Set up in August 2016 in Gurugram, Twenty Two Motors is working towards bringing out tech-laden electric vehicles to India. Based on its product development plans, the company has been able to clinch funding of $1.6 million (approximately Rs 10 crore) in a Series-A round, led by Haryana Industries.

Along with this, Parveen, who is an automation engineer with 15 years of entrepreneurial experience, and Vijay, a computer graduate from IIT Delhi, together have been able to bring ex-Harley Davidson India director, Farhaan Shabbir on board their founding team as well.

To keep prices in check, the company aims to indigenise the core components of EV technology, namely batteries and controllers and differentiate itself from the slew of other players present in the market.

It has successfully developed its Li-ion battery pack, a Battery Management System (BMS) and smart electronics to now go ahead and incorporate these into the vehicle platforms to come up with their first e-scooter early next year. The money received will now be infused into building prototypes and hiring more talent from the industry.

Prototype unveiling likely at Auto Expo 2018
The first two-wheeler prototype is planned to be ready by July this year, with the founders eyeing a possible unveil timing of 2018 Auto Expo. Twenty Two Motors has earlier focused on locally developing the Li-ion battery pack by taking into consideration the Indian temperature spectrum, so as to optimise battery life and performance, which would come to offer  a range of 60-100km for the high performance scooter, capable of doing speeds up to 60-80kph.

With a target price range of Rs 50,000 to Rs. 60,000 ex-showroom, the company will be making extensive use of artificial intelligence technologies into its smart e-scooter by making use of gyroscope, part sensors, accelerometer, GPS and GPRS devices.

These systems would monitor user patterns through the company’s centralised data analysis centre and will help it fine-tune product evolution, give service updates as well as provide real-time feedback to customer on improving their riding styles.

The e-scooter will also be high on the security front, as all the technological devices will offer a remote monitoring access, wherein the owner would be able to track the scooter and even prevent theft by disabling the functions, all remotely.

Apart from e-scooters, the technology company is looking at venturing into the three-wheeler space by 2019 and would also study the market dynamics around the four-wheeler EV space in the coming years.