Electric Vehicle Expo in Bangalore showcased E-tractors to foldable electric bikes

Karnataka Government’s electric vehicle expo in Bengaluru was inaugurated with much fanfare on Friday. The expo features all types of electric vehicles from tractors to foldable e-bikes. This exhibition is being held to promote battery-run vehicles and the State’s electricity department, BESCOM is conducting the EV Abhiyaana at Palace Grounds.

Electric tractors made by Cellestial E-mobility steal the show at the Electrical Vehicle expo:

Though there were multiple vehicles at the expo, Hyderabad-based startup Cellestial E-mobility stood apart from the rest as it grabbed the attention of all. Its battery-run tractors have the capability to reduce diesel consumption and maintenance costs.

Diese prices have been skyrocketing ever since the war began and resulted in a shortage of oil due to reduced exports. Electric tractors will immensely help farmers to switch over to an environment-friendly option. Cellestial is a subsidiary of the Murugappa Group Company. They have unveiled three new tractors all ranging from 27HP to 55HP and commercial sales will begin in the next 3 months.

The maximum speed of the e-tractors is 25KMPH and the pricing will be between Rs.6-8 lakhs. The cost of an average diesel tractor is around Rs.4.5-6.5 lakh. “An electric tractor will be fully charged in two hours and runtime will be six hours. Operational cost is very cheap. An average of 2-3 liters of diesel are required every one hour for fuel-run tractors with 27HP. For a diesel tractor, the average price is Rs.220 per hour in terms of fuel consumption.

For an electric tractor, however, the cost comes down to Rs.10-12 per hour,” a spokesperson for Cellestial stated. He went on to add that electric tractors are designed with minimum parts, so both maintenance and service costs are low. “It is noise and emission-free. It’s also easy to charge via any home AC outlet. Further, it is designed to work in both wet and dry conditions. There is a provision for a battery swap, which makes it easy to replace a depleted battery with a fully charged one without delay,” the spokesperson went on to add.

Other firms such as VST Tillers Tractors, Mahindra and Mahindra, Escorts, Eicher, and Sonalika International Tractors, are launching electric tractors as well. There is also another attraction at the expo, the Svitch Bikes made by an Ahmedabad-based company. The EV maker has come up with three iterations of foldable electric bikes. “The battery range varies from 40-120KM and price varies from Rs. 66,000 to 1.1 lakh. The weight of these e-bikes varies between 23KG and 31.5KG. They are foldable, lightweight, and easy to carry,” one of Svitch’s representatives stated.

Wridish Smart Vehicles, an electric scooter firm claimed that they use 100% water-proof motors for their vehicles, “We have introduced a new 80KMPH high-speed electric scooter, which can provide a mileage of 85KM per charge at a cost of around Rs. 87,000. It has Bluetooth connectivity, anti-theft security system, detachable batteries, special speed control mode system, remote controls, USB mobile charger, reverse gear mode, and special assistance repairing switch,” Sanvit Chalana, the chairman of the firm stated. Their bikes are unique as users will not need to worry about their bikes while passing through flooded roads or riding when there is heavy rainfall.

The EV expo has multiple stalls with unique products, solutions, and technologies. The majority of participants are makers of battery-run vehicles and fleet operators.

Also read:

• Residential EV Chargers carry the solution to India’s Electric Vehicle infrastructure necessities
• BIS sets performance standards for electric vehicle batteries in India
• Electric Vehicle fires will happen: Ola CEO Bhavis Aggarwal calls EVs catching fires as normal