: For Just Rs 50k, This Hyderabad Startup Converts Auto Rickshaws Into Electrical Ones #IndiaNEWS #Electric Vehicles Imagine yourself riding in an electric auto-rickshaw without the noise and vibrations

For Just Rs 50k, This Hyderabad Startup Converts Auto Rickshaws Into Electrical Ones #IndiaNEWS #Electric Vehicles
Imagine yourself riding in an electric auto-rickshaw without the noise and vibrations of the engine piercing through your ears. As a regular user of auto-rickshaws, that’s the experience I am looking for. Fortunately, RACEnergy, a Hyderabad-based electrical vehicle (EV) startup, is making kits for auto-rickshaws that would convert them into EVs.
RACEnergy spent over two years developing and testing this kit, which can be retrofitted into an existing IC engine powered three-wheeler. Having spoken to over 2,000 auto-rickshaw drivers in Hyderabad, the startup is on the cusp over delivering a product that can potentially improve the lives of both drivers and passengers.
“The conversion kit costs about Rs 50,000. Its cheap because we operate this on a battery swapping model, which removes the battery out of the price of the vehicle. The driver who converts his vehicle into an EV doesnt buy the battery upfront, and instead swaps it at a battery-swapping station whenever required and pays for the amount of energy used. Typically, an ICE autorickshaw costs about Rs 2 to Rs 2. 5 lakh, depending on the model, and it barely takes one-fifth of the price to convert it. Meanwhile, an e-auto in the market costs about Rs 3. 5 lakhs. Once converted, auto drivers, save anywhere between 40-50% of their running costs, depending on certain variables. The auto drivers recover their cost of buying the kit in about 12-15 months, and this tenure is calculated only based on the amount they save in operating expenditure,??? says Arun Sreyas, CEO of RACEnergy.
The startup has set up one battery-swapping station in Hyderabad. In the next two or three months, another five such stations are expected to come up. In the past two months since these electric kits were finalised for purchase, they have received over 300 pre-orders. So far, they have converted 10 vehicles. The next few months will be spent fulfilling the pre-orders.
“In a battery swapping model, the battery is owned by the company performing the swapping, whereas the vehicle and retrofit kit is owned by the driver. They use our batteries as a service. The vehicle owner does not have to worry about managing batteries at all. For drivers, since there is no clutch or gearbox, they can cover greater distances at greater comfort and pick up more rides than they would have earlier,??? Arun claims.
RACEnergy Co-Founders Arun Sreyas Reddy and Gautham Maheswaran (Left).
Basic specifications
On average, auto drivers typically drive about 10 to 12 hours a day depending on a host of factors. One of the benefits of battery swapping is that it takes only a minute or two to do. Otherwise, drivers often have to stand for hours in long queues to charge their lithium-ion batteries and risk losing customers.

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