Gurugram firm’s electric bikes cost Rs 20,000; don’t need a driver’s license

 The scooter weighs 59 kilograms, along with the battery, and has a basket in front to carry personal items.

Since its inception, Detel, a Gurgaon-based consumer electronic brand, has been involved in developing low-cost technologies. For example, they sell an LCD television for Rs 3999. “Although there is no great profit in making products at such low prices, I plan to reach every consumer in India,” says Yogesh Bhatia, the founder of Detel, India. Two years ago, Yogesh kicked off a plan to convert bicycles into electric vehicles by attaching a motor. But, that proved to be too expensive.

“Once we stopped working on the cycle, my 16-member research team started conducting ground-research to understand what the user wants in an electric vehicle. During this stage, we noted two main points to address — affordability, and safety.

After continued research for other solutions. We started working on the electric vehicle which would go at low speeds, be affordable, and have the features of a cycle,” says Yogesh adding that he believes there is a big market in India for EVs.

Now, they have launched a new product— an electric two-wheeler named Detel EV (Easy) and priced at Rs 19,999.

Making a Low-Cost Electric Bike

Powered by a 250-watt electric motor, this scooter has a top speed of 25 km/hour. It has a 48-volt lithium-ion battery that takes 7-8 hours to charge using a domestic power supply. It can cover 60 kilometres on one full charge.

“Considering its low speed, users of this moped-like scooter do not require a DL. Vehicles that go between a speed of 25 – 35 kmph do not need a license or registration. It can be used by young adults. But wearing a helmet is necessary,” says Yogesh.

The scooter weighs 59 kgs, along with the battery, and has a basket in front to carry personal items. The moped-like scooter also has pedals attached to it, in case the power runs out. The vehicle is equipped with a drum braking system.

Munish Jindal, the head of Product Development and Supply Chain Management, says, “Our aim was to develop something that consumers would use when they had to go short distances. If a user has to take the scooter out in a hurry, and halfway through the journey realises there is no power, he/she can use the pedals to ride it. Since it is not heavy, there is not much effort involved. Though it cannot go fast, it is safe and environmentally friendly.”

There is also a second seat at the back for the pillion rider.

Bijender Verma, a resident of Haryana purchased the product as a gift for his 13-year-old son, Rahul Soni. He says, “My son uses the electric scooter to go to the market, and sometimes visit his friends. We purchased it two weeks back, and I chose this product for its main specification – speed. Since it does not go faster than 25 kms/hr I don’t have to worry that he will drive rash, and this will also give him the feel of being an adult.”

EV Industry In India

Yogesh believes that the electric vehicle industry in India is starting to gain momentum on account of various factors such as the growing awareness toward the environment, increasing petrol prices, and stringent emission norms.

“With the Delhi CM launching a new ‘Electric Vehicle Policy’ that is aimed at boosting the economy, reducing pollution levels and generating employment in the city, we feel that the consumption of the electric vehicles will go up now, more than ever. It’s possible that other states will also follow suit” says Yogesh.

Apart from the Detel EV Easy, to keep his business afloat in the current situation, Yogesh has also launched a series of products such as contactless thermometers, hand sanitisers, oximeters, facemasks, and more.

If you wish to purchase the products, you can place an order on this website.

(Source: TBI)

Telangana mom makes 1400-km round-trip on scooty to bring home son stranded in Andhra

The 48-year-old headmistress of a government school drove 1,400 km on her scooty from Bodhan in Nizamabad in Telangana to Nellore in Andhra Pradesh and back to bring back her son who was stranded at a friend's house.

“He is with me now, I am very happy,” Razia Begum giggled over the phone. The 48-year-old headmistress of a government school drove 1,400 km on her scooty from Bodhan in Nizamabad in Telangana to Nellore in Andhra Pradesh and back to bring back her son who was stranded at a friend’s house. Her son, 19-year-old Mohammed Nizamuddin, a student at Narayana Medical Academy at Hyderabad, had gone with his classmate to Rehmatabad in Nellore on March 12.

Razia drove 1,400 kms on her scooty from Bodhan in Nizamabad in Telangana to Nellore in Andhra Pradesh

“I accompanied him as he was going to see his father who was unwell and I also wanted to visit a dargah at Rehmatabad. We went by train on March 12. I had booked a return ticket for March 23 but the trains were cancelled and the lockdown started and I got stranded there,” said Nizamuddin. He tried unsuccessfully for several days to find some transport to reach Hyderabad but to no avail.

“I stayed with my friend’s family while I and my mother tried to figure out over the phone how to return home,” he said. Razia Begum, who is headmistress at Bodhan Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency School, approached Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Bodhan V Jaipal Reddy twice to seek advice on how to bring back her son.

“I was worried that he won’t take enough precautions to stay in a safe zone to protect himself from coronavirus. Nellore is one of the affected districts and I was really worried about him. If he is at home I can keep a watch. Police suggested I wait for a few days as the lockdown was being implemented strictly,” she said.

Razia Begum is headmistress of a government school in Telangana

On Sunday, April 5, with the prospect of the lockdown getting extended, Razia Begum decided to go to Nellore and bring back her son. “I had no option but to go on my scooty. Hiring a car was out of question as no one was interested and besides, if I was travelling in a car the chances of being allowed by police on the highway were bleak. I thought that by riding on the scooty alone I would be able to convince cops to allow me to travel. I neither informed my son nor my brothers and sisters. I started off early Monday morning and only after reaching Toopran on the outskirts of Hyderabad I informed my son that I was coming to pick him up,” she said.

“I have been driving two-wheeler since 25 years. My husband passed away 14 years ago and even at that time I used to drive to Hyderabad on a two-wheeler when he had to undergo dialysis. So I was not afraid although the distance was daunting,” she said.

Razia Begum topped up petrol wherever she found a fuel station and carried a five-liter can with additional fuel. She carried rotis and sabzi for the journey. “I took 15-20 minute breaks at fuel stations, drank water and let the scooty engine cool down. Thankfully, the scooty did not break down anywhere. When I reached the Telangana-Andhra Pradesh border, it was late evening and the cops there were surprised to see me. They were taken aback when I told them where I was coming from and where I was going and it took a lot of convincing to allow me to go. They were worried about my safety; they said that there was no one on the highway and night was falling. However, I convinced them that I will be safe and drove away. The highway was dark and lonely but I had to pick up my son. I was stopped by police at a check post at 2 am on Tuesday on the outskirts Nellore. After listening to my story, they said that the road ahead was dangerous and advised me to halt for some time. I waited at a roadside shelter near the check post till 4 am and then called my son that I was nearby,” she said.

“She arrived at 7:30 am. She drove almost 23-24 hours to pick me up,” said her son.

“She arrived at 7:30 am. She drove almost 23-24 hours to pick me up and I was overwhelmed and very happy to see her. We left again in the afternoon and returned to Bodhan Wednesday evening. She had her first good meal after two days,” Nizamuddin said.

“She is a gutsy lady. I tried to persuade her to hire a car but she said she doesn’t have that much money and went on the scooty. She requested a letter from me stating the reason for which she was traveling to be shown if she was stopped at check-posts. Her courage to bring back her stranded son is very moving,” Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Bodhan V Jaipal Reddy said.

(Source: TIE)

Electric scooters aren't as eco-friendly as they seem, study finds

Materials used in manufacturing and companies’ efforts to collect and charge scooters create significant greenhouse gas emissions

At first glance, the assertion that dockless electric scooters are more environmentally friendly than other modes of transportation seems sound. They don’t emit greenhouse gases. They don’t add to vehicle congestion. “Cruise past traffic and cut back on CO2 emissions – one ride at a time,” touts Bird, one of the most popular scooter companies in the US.

But scooters are not as eco-friendly as they may seem, according to a study published on Friday.

Researchers at North Carolina State University found that traveling by scooter produces more greenhouse gas emissions per mile than traveling by bus, bicycle, moped or on foot.

 People ride shared electric scooters in Santa Monica, California, last month. Photograph: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images

The team discovered that while the scooters themselves were not particularly environmentally unfriendly, the materials it took to manufacture the frame, wheels and battery, as well as the companies’ efforts at the end of each day to round up the scooters, charge them and then return them to the streets, had significant impact when it came to greenhouse gas emissions.

“They claim that they’re Earth-friendly and potentially carbon-free,” said the study author Joe Hollingsworth. “What we found is while they might have zero tailpipe emissions, there are definitely upstream and downstream processes that definitely do not make the processes carbon-free.”

The researchers took apart the same model of scooter used for the first generation of Birds, and calculated the greenhouse gas emissions associated with putting it together. They determined that the materials and manufacturing made up about half of the scooter’s global warming impact, something that is only exacerbated when the scooters are vandalized or destroyed.

And scooters, in particular, are targets for vandalism and destruction. Bird Graveyard, an Instagram account started by three friends in west Los Angeles, has more than 99,600 followers who subscribe to their documentation of scooter vandalism. One of the founders of the account, who has never disclosed his name because of the nature of the material, told the Guardian on Friday that while he has always supported the concept behind the scooters – a transportation alternative to environmentally unfriendly cars – the rollout of the scooters has made them targets of vandalism.

“It’s a great idea, but it’s carried out very poorly,” he said. “People are going to do people things, and destroying it is just going to be part of it. They should have accounted for that at least somewhat and had something to counteract that.”

Bird and Lime did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In 2018, people rode scooters on 38.5m trips, according to the National Association of City Transportation Officials.

Hollingsworth and the other researchers encouraged the scooter companies to “reduce collection and distribution burdens by incentivizing or requiring the use of efficient automobiles”, and centralizing management or “allowing chargers to ‘claim’ e-scooters to eliminate unnecessary and competitive driving during daily collection”.

“I hope that our paper helps consumers consider what they’re actually replacing with the scooters,” he said. “Hopefully, it will help these companies to better manage how their employees are driving around to pick these scooters up to make them more efficient.”

(Source: The Guardian)