Italian auto major Piaggio on Wednesday made its foray into the electric vehicle segment in India with the launch of a three-wheeler model in the country. The electric three-wheeler, Ape E-City, is priced at Rs 1.97 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) and comes with a swappable lithium-ion battery. The company has tied up with Chetan Maini-led Sun Mobility for battery and charging infrastructure. “Piaggio group has a rich heritage of developing electric technology over the last 15 years which we have leveraged to develop these class leading products for India,” Piaggio Vehicles Pvt Ltd MD and CEO Diego Graffi told reporters here.
The company has developed both swappable and fixed battery technology solutions to serve various needs of customers, he added. “We plan to introduce a three-wheeler with fixed battery as well in the second quarter of the next year. There would also be electric versions in passenger and goods carriage space,” Graffi said. The company will launch the Ape E-City in Chandigarh, Mohali and Gurugram in the first phase in partnership with Sun Mobility. The partners plan to have 50 quick charging stations spread across 10 cities by March next year.