DWS Auto India

Lohia Group launched two electric bikes, Oma and Fame, at at the India International Trade Fair in Delhi, on November 14, 2008. The two bikes will be priced at Rs 31,000 (ex-showroom Delhi.)

BSA Motors has launched five models of BSA electric scooters aimed at young people in the age group of between 14 and 30 years. All of which are going to lose a lot of sales, thank you very much, due to the company not having a proper website.

BSA Motors, which is currently mulling over hitting the road with a new range of bikes that would run on alternative fuels, is likely to rope in partners who would collaborate with it for the venture.

Luminous Power Technologies plans to launch its electric scooter - possibly, the name would be Lectrix - in November 2008. The Luminous Lectrix will be part of a range of e-bikes that Luminous Technologies, part of the SAR group, will manufacture.

Year 2009 will see scooter maker Ultra Motors going in for a major expansion in India. The company, which had parted ways with Hero Electric, will now seek to capture the scooter market in India on its own, The expansion is planned with an eye on this goal.

Yet another Indian electric scooter will make its way to the US with the United States Department of Transport according approval for its imports. Bangalore based electric scooter manufacturer EKO Vehicles  will export its new EV 60 to the US.

  Kerala, this Onam season, is expected to see more YObykes on its roads. The manufacturer of the electric two-wheeler brand, Electrotherm, has come out with a special Onam offer in its bid to sell more vehicles in the state.

It seems to be raining e-bikes in India. Or it might soon. A couple of companies are in the race to be on top of the e-bike marketplace and that means a few launches are round the bend.

Electric scooters were only rumoured about in India when I gave up riding two-wheelers in India. They were just a nice dream then. Plug in, charge up and ride away. Easy as that.

The marginal automobile player in the PSU space, Scooters India, will jump on to the electric vehicles’ bandwagon, if the buzz is to be believed.