The makers of India’s first electric car, the Bengaluru-based Mainis, are returning to the electric automobile space with a plan that seeks to drastically reduce the cost of buying an electric car for the end user, as also a simple way to recharge the car instantly so as to allay worries about how long one can drive on a single charge.
According to The Times of India, the new initiative, Sun Mobility, is a 50:50 joint venture between a new Maini company called Virya Mobility 5.0 and New Delhi-based Uday Khemka’s Sun Group, which has been an active investor in a range of areas including renewables for many years.
As per their ambitious plan, which will take another two years to come to full fruition, Sun Mobility will take on the cost of the car battery, which accounts for 30-50 per cent of the cost of an electric car. This will reduce the overall cost of buying an electric car, which currently is high compared to similar-sized conventional cars. The battery will be provided to the user on a pay-as-you-go model.
Sun Mobility will also establish infrastructure – in gas stations and elsewhere – where a battery can be replaced in a minute or two, no more time than what it takes to refuel now. In other words, it takes away the worry of recharging, which could take an hour or more.
Sun Mobility will partner with multiple OEMs to integrate its proprietary modular battery solutions into a fleet of vehicles including cars, buses, autos and two-wheelers.
