Mumbai/NewDelhi: Voltron Electric cycle have a very conceived and developed during the first phase of lockdown in India, which came into effect on the 24th of March,2020. The CEO and Founder of the Voltron Electric cycle had completed the test run and finalized the design of an Electric Motorcycle modelled on the lines of Harley Davidson which he envisaged to launch after necessary approvals from ICAT by August ,2020. However destiny had something else in store and Prashant had to shelve the plan of the Electric Motorcycle since the fund flow got massively hit because of the lockdown and being bootstrapped it was no longer viable to do so .
Voltron Electric Cycle was the plan B , since it did not require any approvals and was a less capital intensive project . However a closer look at the electric cycle market was quite discouraging since the adoption of electric cycle in India was quite low , which was clear from the fact that the market leader Hero Lectro had been able to sell only 7,000 cycles in the last year.
This triggered team Voltron to look at the reasons for such low adoption rate for electric cycles in India and what they found out was:
Voltron electric cycle has Many characteristics.
1.The range offered by the electric cycles was quite low at around 25 to 35 Km on a single charge.2.These cycles could be used by a single person at a time.3.The design of these cycles made rendered it not usable by the female population which constitutes almost 47% of the population.4.The load bearing capacity of these electric cycles was limited to 85 Kg and so they did not have the ability of carry two people.5.The electric cycles did not have the ability to climb flyover or hills on their own but needed to be pedalled to do so. Which meant they could only be used by people who are physically fit .6.The cycles were priced exorbitantly with respect to the features they offered.
The main reason for all of these was the fact that these cycles used Hub Motors , a motor which was fitted at the center of the wheel , either on the front or the rear wheel depending on the convenience of the manufacturer. In a Hub Motor ,the motor is built into the wheel hub itself, while the stator is fixed solidly to the axle, and the magnets are attached to and rotating with the wheel. The presence of the magnets causes resistance to the movement of the wheel which in turn lead to lower output power and in addition acts as a drag when the cycle is pedelled , which in turn implies more effort required while pedalling .As a result electri cycles which use hub motors are unable to carry a load of over 85 kg and are unable to cross flyover or climb hills purely on the throttle mode.
The Voltron Electric Cycle was developed to overcome all these problems which were hindering the adoption of electric cycles in India . It was conceived as a cross over between a cycle and a scooty , consequently it has a unique look , it does not look either like a cycle or like a scooty.To impart more power to the Voltron Electric Cycle the mid drive motor technology was used . There are only a handful of companies all over the world which use this technology in electric cycles and the starting price of cycles with the mid drive technology is INR 1,90,000. Voltron Electric cycle is the first electric cycle in India which uses a mid drive motor . In the mid drive motor technology the motor is placed separately and is connected to the sprocket either on the crank or the sprocket in the rear wheel by means of a chain or a belt. Such an arrangement enhances the output delivery of the motor substantially since it isolated the motor drive train from the pedal drive train and both become independent of each other and thus start complementing each other rather than inhibiting and restricting each other.
As a result of this superior technology the Voltron Electric Cycle was able to cover a distance of 100 Km on a single charge which made it of utility for travelling from home to office and back , for people who are in field jobs and in sales. This made the cycle of utility for use in rural areas for use by people in travelling from one village to another or for travelling from a village to the nearest city . This also enhances the load bearing capacity of the Voltron Electric Cycle which now stand at 140 kg and so it an carry a pillion rider , which makes it of utility for parents to pick up and drop their children to and from school. It makes it viable as a cycle which can be used for home delivery of grocery and food items. Since the maximum speed of the Voltron Electric Cycle is fixed at 25 Km/hr , it does not require any licence or registration to use it and so it can be used by children to commute between school and home and for gong for tuitions. While designing the Voltron Electric Cycle particular care was taken to make it in such a way that it was a unisex cycle and yes the Voltron Electric cycle can be used by both men and women with equal ease.Voltron Electric Cycle is the only cycle the world over which can climb flyovers and hills purely on the throttle mode without pedalling, which makes it usable by one and all.
To top it all the Voltron Electric cycle comes fully loaded with head light , battery level indicator , reserve battery level alarm to alert the rider that the cycle can only travel a distance of 15 to 20 km and need to be recharged , brake light and hazard light for safety during riding at night . It is also equipped with auto e brake cut off , which automatically cuts off the motor on application of brakes , for the safety of the rider.
The Voltron electric cycle does not require a charging station for charging as it can be charged even from an extension cord. The charging time of the Voltron Electric cycle is 3 hrs which is the shortest charging time in its class.
The Voltron Electric cycle has been priced at INR 35,000 thereby making it the most affordable electric cycle . It can be taken on finance through Bajaj Finserv or it can be financed through all major credit cards. We are in talks with IDFC First bank and soon the finance facility will b available from it.
We feel elated to share with you that the Voltron Electric Cycle since its launch in September has already reached Shergati a village in Bihar and is being used at Bandikui ( Tribal area ) in Rajasthan. It is extensively being used by women all across India spanning Nagaland , Patna , Mumbai and Dharwad ( Karnataka) to name a few. Some large societies in Nodia are planning to use it for patrolling within the society premises by the security guards. We are also in talk with the Indian armed forces for induction of the Voltron Electric Cycle as a green initiative of the Indian Army. Zomato has also show interest in using the Voltron Electric Cycle for the purpose of delivering food items as an initiative to reduce the carbon footprint. Voltron Electric cycle will soon be seen on the roads of Newzeland , Australia , Denmark , Thailand and South Africa .
We feel humbled that our endeavour to create a vehicle of social change which could be used by the people who need it the most but have so far never been looked at is gradually but surely beginning to take effect and show results.
The Founder and CEO of Voltron Motors Pvt. Ltd. Mr Prashant Kumar said in a conversation with Hrithik Saini, Editor-in-Chief of Shining India News Groups,
Mr. Prashant Kumar, CEO of Voltron Electric cycle, said that this electric cycle is very economical. Is very strong and durable. The biggest feature is that the middle class family can easily afford it and this very long lasting electric cycle.
Another feature of the Voltron electric cycle is that its user is always healthy and fit.
For more information about Voltron electric cycle, please you can visit the website. www.voltron.in.net
Bureau Report
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