Carrywheels, a bike manufacturing company, has launched two futuristic models of electric bicycles- Freedom and Defender. A product being manufactured in Ranchi, these bikes are made of strong aluminum alloy frames and are powered with lithium ion batteries. The USP of these E- bikes is that they can be completely folded and fitted into a car boot.
The model Freedom is an urban E- bike where as Defender is a mountain E- bike. They can cover a distance of 35-40 Kms and 70-80 Kms respectively with the pedal assist function in a single charge. Equipped with an electric horn, these bikes come fitted with a front and a rear LED light to enable night riding.
“The biggest challenge while designing these E- bikes was to offer a practical solution as the other products available were not practical. These bikes have removable batteries, which can be charged at the convenience of your home or office just like a mobile phone,” said the founder of the brand Ashish Modi.
These bikes use powerful brushless hub motor which can handle a load of 100 Kgs. They have 14 inch tubeless tyres and 26 inch MTB tyres along with dual disk electronic brakes. They also have an in- built LCD display with multi level speed selector.
These bikes are not only suitable for daily commuting, but are also good for one’s health and fitness. “These are export quality bikes and are different from what is available in the market. The idea was to offer a solution to the problem of traffic and pollution in Ranchi. Electronic vehicles are the future and these bikes are ideal for traffic and are also a great way to stay fit,” added the entrepreneur.
On April 30, the website www.carrywheels.com was launched in Hyderabad. “We are launching the entire range in India while only selected products are being test marketed in the USA with a retail chain. This is an e-commerce website which will cater to all the needs of the customers including direct billing and shipping across India. We also have dealers in Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Bhubaneswar.” Presently the sales are mostly being concentrated in metro cities because of the high pollution levels and traffic problems where the products are also being accepted well.
“This is my design and we have also applied for a patent of the same. Electric bikes are very popular abroad and that is what inspired me to design this. These are very high quality bikes which are being offered at a very competitive price in India. We also plan to introduce a more economical range of products in the near future,” said Modi. Freedom is priced at Rs. 49,900 where as the price of Defender is Rs. 69,900. Freedom is available in a myriad of colours- yellow, red, pink, orange and green. The colour options for Defender are matt black and gloss white.
Electric bikes is a completely different segment which falls somewhere between a bicycle and a motorcycle. A person can just ride it like a bike or a scooter using the electric power without pedaling. The second option is to switch off the battery and riding it like a normal bicycle. The third is the hybrid mode where a person can lightly pedal along with the battery power.
Modi is a student of Bishop Westcott Boys School and is a law graduate from Symbiosis Pune.
The young entrepreneur is currently based in Mumbai. “This is a personal venture and a start-up. My entire family is very excited and extremely supportive and encouraging.”