Lohia Auto e-scooters make their charge

Lohia Auto Industries (LAI), part of the Rs 500 crore Lohia group, is targeting sales of 20,000 units of its newly launched electric scooters till March 2009. In the next fiscal it is targeting sales of around 100,000 units, according to CEO Ayush Lohia.

Lohia has entered into the EV segment with the launch of its Fame and Oma models. The scooters are manufactured at its plant in Kashipur (Uttarakhand), which has a capacity of 200,000 units per annum. An investment of Rs 150 crore will be made in the plant over a period of two to three years. “They are developed with German technology. Our R&D team will be constantly interacting with the German firm,” said Lohia.

The company said it will be setting up distributors outside India as well, in at least two Asian countries. “We plan to export 15,000 to 20,000 units of these e bikes per annum. By mid-2009 we shall be launching three new models and they would be in the higher 700 to 800 watts category. We are also planning to manufacture three-wheelers in India. The vehicles are currently being tested at ARAI and should be certified in the next three months,” noted Lohia.

Pricing ranges from Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 for a 250 watt model, while the 500 to 750 watt models will cost Rs 30,000 to Rs 35,000.