e-Trio launches first certified retrofitted electric LCV at Rs 775,000

Telengana-based electric vehicle start-up e-Trio today launched India’s first certified retrofitted electric light commercial vehicle (eLCV).

e-Trio’s eLCV, which is powered with a lithium-ion battery of 20 kWH on a 96 V system, has a certified range of 120km. The company claims the eco-friendly eLCV, which has a rated motor power of 15kW and develops  torque of 120 Nm, can handle a gradient of 7 degrees. Etrio Track, a telematics app, provides key health metrics at a vehicle and component level, enables key safety features including geo-fencing, remote immobilization and delivers data driven insights through unique driver scorecards to drive operational efficiency.

According to Deepak MV, co-founder and CEO, e-Trio, “It is a transformational move with the capacity introduction at this level. We are proud to launch e-Trio’s eLCV which through our scientific retrofitment process revives the earning of the driver owner by saving almost 60% of the operational expenses and makes diesel-guzzling LCVs into green productive vehicles. This will not only reshape the e-commerce logistics space but also have a deeper impact on the EV ecosystem. We have already received interest of over 1,200 eLCVs as we speak.”

From a business potential perspective, e-Trio says the retrofitment allows the over 20 lakh Tata Aces plying on Indian roads to get a new lease of life with over five years of life extension. Vehicle selection for retrofit starts with a 150-point checklist followed by stripping of the vehicle of its internal combustion parts. This is followed by mechanical and electrical retrofitment processes. The final procedure is the testing and quality inspection process, after which the eLCV is cleared for sale.

e-Trio says the eLCV is already being used by over 10 leading e-commerce and logistics companies including LetsTransport, Ikea, BigBasket and Mahindra Logistics. Pricing for the e-LCV starts at 775,000 (on road- Delhi)

Some of the e-Trio users gave a thumbs up to the move. KBN Nagaraju, head of innovation, BigBasket said, “We are one of the pioneers in introducing EVs in our fleets in the country. We partner with players who have the same synergies as us.”

Pushkar Singh, co-founder & CEO, LetsTransport said, “With high delivery costs in India, recasting incumbent cost structure is inevitable. Having aggregated over 60,000 mini-truck owners, we know first-hand that this underserved community feels the brunt of the cost of ownership the most when compared to any owners of any other vehicle segment, including passenger segment. I congratulate eTrio for this launch and look forward to our association in enabling this ecosystem forward.”

Echoing the sentiment, Preet Dhupar, CFO, Ikea, commented, “Sustainability is key to our agenda and therefore, electric mobility becomes the part of our agenda as well. Our goal is to have deliveries via zero carbon emissions.”

“It is an exciting time for EVs, especially Etrio with this launch. Their retrofitment technology is great and such a change will create more value and will give a good chance for the entire ecosystem to be formed,"  remarked Aravind Sivakumar, Product Head, Milk Run, and Last Mile, Mahindra Logistics.

Autocar Professional had already published details about eTrio developing a new electric three-wheeler and will target its existing B2B clients in the L5 cargo category in its August 1 issue.