Bengaluru: That there is no government support in India, in terms of subsidies or infrastructure, for eco-friendly vehicles did not stop Dhivik Reddy from venturing into making electric two-wheelers.
Dhivik, 30, started out with a green initiative called Go Green Battery Operated Vehicle (GoGreen BOV) in 2007, bringing in a range of E-bikes. Now, his company has a footprint spanning Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Goa.
“When we started, there was virtually no market for electric bikes in India. Many players in the industry could not succeed mainly because their product was not made for Indian conditions and mindset. We were able to gain a foothold in the market by designing India’s first e-bike with a range of 120 km per charge.”
Last year, his company had a turnover of Rs 33 crore, enough to let himself zip around in a BMW. He hopes to break even this year.
Dhivik got his first taste of the eco-friendly vehicle business from his father Ashok Reddy who, in 1996, introduced in the country the Landi kit, which helped convert petrol cars to run on LPG.
“We were the first to introduce the kit in India, importing it from Italy. My father was the inspiration for me to start GoGreen BOV,” Dhivik said.
It was not easy business to get into, “we had initial failures. The first 11 customers demanded their money back because their bikes broke down. But my team and I did not give up the hope of being able to create a better vehicle”,he added.
Earlier this month, GoGreen BOV launched four new models — Kohra, Kimaya, Kavach and Sunnoti, priced between Rs 28,000 and Rs 59,500, and with range between 60 km to 120 km on a full charge. To be sure, these are not meant for the thrill of speed. Rather, with a top speed of 25 kmph, they fall into the category of cycles under current government regulation. But that’s an advantage — you don’t need to have a driver’s licence to ride one of these.
Not surprisingly, therefore, about half his customers are small traders and kirana store owners.
“These people are small businessmen, who need either to travel distances or carry goods for their businesses and are looking to cut their rising expenses on transport fuel. Then there are restaurants that provide home delivery service. The rest are students, housewives, senior citizens and some office workers,” Dhivik said.
