Bounce Electric, the start-up based in Bangalore, India, has announced its plans of manufacturing and launching its first e-scooter. Known for its scooter rental service, Bounce Electric claims that its upcoming e-scooter will sport swappable battery packs. Customers of the unnamed e-scooter can also rent the battery packs separately from the company rather than purchasing them together.
This strategy should bring down the purchase cost of the scooters and add a recurring subscription cost for future customers. Bounce Electric claims that it will set up battery swapping stations despite not having any concrete plans or details. According to the company, the battery packs with the management systems are indigenous and imported from Panasonic and LG Chem. The company also claims that deliveries of the e-scooter will begin in the month of January 2022.
The electric start-up company has seemingly become a part of the industry thanks to its acquisition of ’22Motors’. Bounce Electric acquired 22Motors which partnered with Kymco at an estimated value of USD 7 million or INR 52 crore. The acquisition, which took place in September 2021, saw Bounce Electric gaining the rights to all 22Motors’ intellectual properties.
This includes 22 Motors’ manufacturing plant located at Bhiwadi, Rajasthan that has an annual capacity of 1,20,000 units. Bounce Electric also aims to set up another manufacturing plant in South India. However, a well-established e-scooter brand like Ather only managed to shift 1,799 units in August 2021.
The brand is likely to use a hub-mounted DC electric motor, capable of high torque and a range of around 100 km on a single charge. But thanks to the swappable battery technology, the customers will not have any range anxiety on the electric scooter. The EV will also come with the latest generation telematics and comfort and convenience features. The scooter will compete with the Ather Energy 450X, the TVS iQube, Ola S1/S1Pro and Bajaj Chetak.
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