Pune-based Kinetic Green Energy and Power Solutions Ltd, a venture of the Kinetic Group specialising in green transport solutions, on Thursday introduced its indigenously designed battery operated e-Auto called ‘Kinetic Safar’.
“The Safar is positioned as an ecofriendly social innovation to promote pollution-free yet affordable public transport in the country. It is designed to ensure reduction in carbon footprint with zero emission and sound, and provide a cost-effective solution for last-mile connectivity as well as shared public transport in cities across India,” the company said in a statement.
The Safar has been approved by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and meets all government safety norms as per the Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR). “The Safar boasts of unique safety and performance features including an all-steel body for durability and ruggedness, dual headlamps for clear night vision, powerful brakes for safety, dashboard with battery charge indicator and speedometer. In line with
CMVR guidelines, the Safar has a maximum speed of 25kph and can carry four passengers plus the driver comfortably,” the company added.
Unlike majority of e-rickshaws in the market, which are imported and assembled Chinese kits, the Safar is capable of climbing flyovers/elevated roads due to its unique gearbox system. This feature has been certified by ARAI under the AIS standard for gradability. In addition, the Safar provides all-weather riding to its driver and passengers thanks to its cabin along with roof and glass windshield with electric wiper motor.
Kinetic Green has also tied up with leading battery manufacturer Exide to provide the rugged lead-acid battery system. The batteries are backed with warranty, service and recycling network all over the country. “Compared to other e-rickshaws, the Safar scores in terms of engineering quality, an exclusive dealer network, and a service as well as warranty back-up,” the company says.
The Safar is priced Rs 1.38 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), inclusive of the Exide battery.
Sulajja Firodia Motwani, the founder & CEO of Kinetic Green Energy and Power Solutions, while launching the Safar in Delhi, said, “It is a sincere effort to provide tail-pipe pollution-free yet affordable mode of public transport in the country. The Safar is a ground-up development to bring advanced green transport technology at an affordable price. The buyer is expected to recover his investment in 8-9 months and the riders enjoy an affordable ride at Rs 10 per ride. I am confident the Safar will revolutionise last-mile transport and create employment for lakhs of unemployed youth and poor. We are pleased to contribute to the government’s initiatives towards reduction in pollution levels, improving health of our citizens and offering smart transport solutions.”
The company also announced that it has bagged an order from the UP government which would be India’s largest-ever institutional order for electric vehicles. This order is for 27,000 Kinetic Safar vehicles amounting to Rs 400 crore, of which delivery is to be completed within 12 months. The order falls under the “E-Rickshaw Yojana” of the UP government, which is a social welfare initiative aimed at providing free e-rickshaws to the existing manual rickshaw-pullers in the state. The company has already completed delivery of the first 300 units of Kinetic Safar to the government and plans to enhance deliveries to 3,000 units per month.
The Safar is being manufactured at Kinetic Green’s facility at Ahmednagar in Maharashtra with an installed capacity of 4,000 vehicles per month.
The company also recently signed an MoU with the Maharashtra State Tourism Department (MTDC) for operating its e-buses at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park near Mumbai. The MTDC aims to ban entry of all polluting private vehicles in the national park and replace them with e-transport to provide silent, green ride to visitors and to preserve the flora and fauna at the park.
During the launch, Kinetic Green also talked about its future innovations and product plans, which include Safar Cargo, an e-cart for low-cost and green urban load distribution aimed at home deliveries and e-commerce. The company intends to commercialise a high-speed e-auto for large cities—it is called Soleckshaw and is developed by group company Kinetic Engineering, under the New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative (NMITLI) of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)—and develop e-autos with lithium-ion batteries to include rapid charging and battery swapping.
