Stella Moto to launch new sub-Rs 1 lakh electric scooter: Electric cargo vehicle in pipeline

The wave of electric mobility is only rising in India and lot of startups and established brands alike are riding it with brand-new products in the electric two-, three-, and four-wheeler segments. A player in this field is Stella Moto. We got in touch with Nakul Jaidka, CEO & Founder, Stella Moto to find out about the brand's plans in terms of new product launches and also its diversification into other segments like electric three-wheelers.A brief on the current product line-up. Which segment attracts the most sales?Currently, we have Buzz – an L1 category EV two-wheeler. It’s one of our leading products in the two-wheeler segment and we expect it to be the highest selling product in our line-up by the end of the financial year. We have been extremely successful in selling and marketing our electric three-wheelers. We have sold to many reputable clients like the Indian Navy, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, IIT Kharagpur, and various municipalities across India. We build customised vehicles to suit each client’s specific needs. In the L3 category, we have our passenger three-wheeler, which currently has higher sales and has been selling consistently since 2017, which is showing tremendous promise. We are also developing the L5 electric three-wheeler that will be available in two variants: cargo and passenger.Which segment is the new upcoming electric two-wheeler launching in? (Expected price and range)With a strong focus on R&D and exhaustive testing, the company is designing, class-leading well-engineered electric two-wheelers and 100% Indian L5 electric vehicles at affordable prices. We are developing a full metal-bodied electric two-wheeler will be focussed on B2B last-mile delivery clients. These will be equally competitive if not better to existing products in India in terms of quality. They will fit into the sub-1 lac category. We are also developing another L1 category passenger two-wheeler which will be catering to the B2C industry and it will be within 1.1 lacs.What target audience are you looking at for the upcoming high-speed electric two-wheeler?Our target consumers are both B2B and B2C for respective two-wheeler models. We at Stella Moto aim to set new standards in the micro-mobility industry and have strongly emphasised safety and reliability in our vehicles. We launched BUZZ, our two-wheeler at an affordable price point to make it accessible to a wide range of customers.How much of the upcoming two-wheeler is localised? What measures have been taken to ensure battery safety?Our B2B model is entirely localised to Indian conditions and the B2C model is around 80% localised. BUZZ integrates A-Grade Lithium Iron–Phosphate (LFP) battery technology, specially designed for Indian climatic conditions. The battery contains four temperature sensors which monitor the temperature at various positions of the battery pack and cuts-off the power at high temperatures.Further, the 2.16 kWh battery pack comes with a micro-processor-based Smart BMS, which helps monitor and maintain the efficiency of the battery pack and helps customers track the accurate state of the battery. The electric scooter has a range of more than 90+ kilometres on a single charge. It comes with a high-efficiency 2KW BLDC motor that offers a top speed of 55 km/h. Our batteries are designed according to the AIS 156 guidelines prescribed by the government.Is Stella Moto prepared in terms of the new EV battery safety norms that recently came into effect on 1st December? What effects do you think these norms would have on the EV industry in India?Yes, we are compliant with the December 1 norms for battery safety. These norms are a step in the right direction by the government as they will improve battery safety and will give the end users confidence in using EVs as it will help put to rest battery/fire safety concerns that they might have about EVs. The future for EVs is very bright in the country. We envisage that 30 per cent of all passenger vehicles will be EVs, five to six years from now. 60 per cent of all two-wheeler sold in the country will be EVs by 2030. In the L5 category, we feel that 70 to 80 per cent of the vehicles will be EVs. The availability of more reasonable battery technology and a better ecosystem for ancillaries will drive growth in the future.