Kochi (Kerala) got introduced to e-rickshaws the last year and the response from both the drivers and the customers were over the roof. This had resulted in the formation of a new agreement between the Auto Driver’s Union and two manufacturers to get 250 more e-rickshaws to run across the city within a span of a few months.
As a first step towards the agreement, Kinetic Green would be introducing 50 e-rickshaws on the roads. Kinetic Green was also the brain behind the initial pilot testing of 15 e-rickshaws that had paved the way for this massive deal.
The second phase of the project of delivering 200 e-rickshaws would be taken care of by Mahindra and Mahindra.
As a first and last-mile connectivity solution, the e-rickshaw fleet would be covering a total operational radius of 5km in and around almost 6 metro stations in the Thykoodam-Aluva region. Two different approaches have been put in place for both the companies as Kinetic Green would work under the principle of battery swapping every 50 km whereas Mahindra and Mahindra would have the luxury to recharge their batteries every few kilometers. The Cooperative Society comprising of almost 5000 drivers would be the custodians of the entire operations.
The second phase of the project of delivering 200 e-rickshaws would be taken care of by Mahindra and Mahindra.
As a first and last-mile connectivity solution, the e-rickshaw fleet would be covering a total operational radius of 5km in and around almost 6 metro stations in the Thykoodam-Aluva region. Two different approaches have been put in place for both the companies as Kinetic Green would work under the principle of battery swapping every 50 km whereas Mahindra and Mahindra would have the luxury to recharge their batteries every few kilometers. The Cooperative Society comprising of almost 5000 drivers would be the custodians of the entire operations.
Kinetic Green has created a deal with five separate fuel stations for easier battery swapping within the metro corridor and the entire swapping process would take less than two minutes resulting in a non-stop service. Recharging however would be adding a three hour stoppage time for the rickshaws, so Mahindra’s needs to plan out their strategy to keep its services open. With the swapping technique in place, Kinetic Green is extending its battery to last a minimum of 5
years before replacement.
The current business model of Kinetic Green would entitle the drivers to own just the charging cost as the battery ownership would be entitled to another partner, BPCL. This mode of business would help to curb the cost of owning an e-rickshaw as 30-40% of the overall vehicle cost is borne by the battery alone. Battery swapping system also ensures that the drivers need not bother about battery maintenance. Cooperative society would be handing over INR 350 Per auto per day as daily rent fees to the Kinetics team and statistics have estimated that the energy per Kilometer cost will be less than or equivalent to 50 paise which is much cheaper as compared to
INR 3 per kilometer for diesel-powered ones
years before replacement.
The current business model of Kinetic Green would entitle the drivers to own just the charging cost as the battery ownership would be entitled to another partner, BPCL. This mode of business would help to curb the cost of owning an e-rickshaw as 30-40% of the overall vehicle cost is borne by the battery alone. Battery swapping system also ensures that the drivers need not bother about battery maintenance. Cooperative society would be handing over INR 350 Per auto per day as daily rent fees to the Kinetics team and statistics have estimated that the energy per Kilometer cost will be less than or equivalent to 50 paise which is much cheaper as compared to
INR 3 per kilometer for diesel-powered ones