TII to launch electric bikes in Kerala soon

Kochi: Tube Investments of India (TII), a flagship company of the Murugappa Group, will launch its electric bikes in Kerala soon. The bikes will be marketed under the BSA brand, according to K.B. Srinivasan, head, BSA Motors.

He said that the company had set up a plant capable of making 100 bikes a day at Ambattur in Tamil Nadu. The cost of the bikes will range from Rs.27,000 to Rs.36,000. The low-speed e-bikes will have a top speed of 25 km per hour and the high-speed models, up to 45 km per hour.

The company invested around Rs.20 crore in designing and testing the e-bikes. The parts such as motor, controller and battery are sourced from reputed vendors. Batteries are to be manufactured by Indian manufacturers. The e-bikes run on rechargeable batteries and requires only one-tenth of the running cost of a petrol-driven vehicle. The average cost will be 35 to 45 paise per km. The eco-friendly bike does not emit harmful gases like carbon monoxide or nitrogen oxide. No licence would be required for the 250 watt e-bikes, according to him.

Mr. Srinivasan said the company would set up 12 sales outlets in Kerala this year and 8 more would be opened by March 2009. It will also set up recharge points at various malls, schools and other buildings.