Piaggio Vehicle Private Limited (PVPL) says that in next 2-3 months over 20 per cent of its total sales will come from electric vehicles. The information was shared by Diego Graffi, MD & CEO, PVPL, during a recent interaction after the launch of the company's new Piaggio Ape HT range of petrol and CNG three-wheelers. Talking about the demand for electric three-wheelers in India, Graffi said, "Both in cargo and passenger, we have seen good response in terms of demand. In just a few months, from zero, now electric portfolio is contributing to our overall market share in the range of 10 to 15 per cent, but we are expecting to increase that percentage further in the next few months to beyond 20 per cent, in the next 2-3 months."
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Piaggio launched fixed battery electric vehicles for both the passenger and cargo segment, thus launching the Ape e-City FX and Ape e-Xtra FX
Piaggio entered the electric three-wheeler space in December 2019, with the launch of the Ape e-City electric rickshaw, featuring swappable battery technology. However, following market demand, Piaggio decided to launch fixed battery electric vehicles for both the passenger and cargo segment, thus launching the Ape e-City FX and Ape e-Xtra FX, respectively in February 2021. And this has allowed the company to cash in on the growing popularity of electric three-wheelers in the cargo segment. "It was zero, nearly zero by the end of last year, so with the newer portfolio that has been picking up quite positively. Mainly we see very positive response for cargo. Cargo fixed battery has seen a very positive response in many parts of India," Graffi added.
Also Read: Piaggio Launches Ape Electrik FX Range Of Electric 3-Wheeler For Cargo And Passenger Segment
Graffi further states that Piaggio is very happy with the response that it has witnessed so far. He claims that the demand for Piaggio electric three-wheelers has far exceeded the company most positive expectations, and says it is just the beginning. Talking about his expectation from the EV market Graffi said, "Definitely the new policies that have been announced at the state level, the Delhi policy and last but not least, the Maharashtra policy, along with FAME II incentive scheme will further boost this demand going forward. We see big potential coming mainly for cargo application for the B2B segment. So, e-commerce, fleet operator/aggregators that will adopt this kind of solution more positively going forward."
Piaggio's Ape E-Xtra FX comes with a Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) of 975 kg, while the E-Xtra comes with a payload capacity of 506 kg
Piaggio's Ape E-Xtra FX for the cargo space comes with an 8 kWh Lithium-Ion battery that powers the electric motor to produce 9.55 kW, which is equivalent to 12.8 bhp and develop 45 Nm of peak torque. The Ape E-Xtra comes with a range of up to 90 km, with a top speed of 45 kmph. It comes with a 6-feet deck area that can be customised for the delivery segment as well. The Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) of the vehicle stands at 975 kg, while the E-Xtra comes with a payload capacity of 506 kg.
