NEW DELHI, Dec. 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The partnership between SUN Mobility, a leading provider of energy infrastructure and services for electric vehicles (EVs), and Piaggio Vehicles Pvt Ltd (PVPL), a 100 % subsidiary of the Italian Piaggio Group and India's leading manufacturer of small commercial vehicles, announced in October 2019, took wings today. Piaggio, Ape E-City, is the first main-stream electric three-wheeler to be launched on SUN Mobility's integrated open-architecture platform, that supports a variety of 2 and 3 wheelers.
To be rolled out first in Chandigarh, Mohali and Gurgaon, the partnership will see a network of 50 SUN Mobility Quick Interchange Stations, spread across 10 cities in India, by March 2020. The aim of this partnership is to further the adoption of affordable and clean last-mile connectivity, while also addressing the current issues around air quality in the regions.
Diego Graffi, MD & CEO of Piaggio Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. said, "At Piaggio, we believe in providing path breaking solutions in the last mile transportation segment with best in class technology offerings to our customers. Our partnership with SUN Mobility will enable customers to experience a very innovative, smart and unique swappable smart battery eco-system in India."
By separating the batteries from the vehicles, SUN Mobility has managed to reduce the upfront cost of the vehicle to be at par with its ICE counterparts. And, by providing the energy infrastructure through a 'battery as a service' model, it not only enables a hassle-free, quick and affordable way of refuelling electric vehicles, but also takes away the concerns around high battery-replacement cost, low-life of the battery, and inadequate charging infrastructure. Connected by a Smart Network, each of the Quick Interchange Stations will enable 150 swaps per day, in under two minutes; thereby, addressing concerns around range limitations and long refuelling time. The minimal downtime ensures that drivers can account for more trips, resulting in increased earning opportunity.
"Our network of swapping stations, along with our 'pay-as-you-go' model, combined with our user- friendly app will significantly increase the ease at which drivers can avail our services, and reduce their concerns around driving range, charging times and battery related operational costs. Our proven solution which has clocked over 1 million+ emission free kms and transported 1.5 million+ passengers till date, makes a very compelling value proposition for 3-wheeler drivers," said Chetan Maini, Co- Founder and Vice-Chairman, SUN Mobility. "We are happy to partner with Piaggio and have them be the first three-wheeler OEM on our platform. Their strong product portfolio, along with our solution, makes a very compelling value proposition for 3-wheeler drivers. Our aim is to continue to revolutionize the last-mile connectivity across the 2 and 3-wheelers, and buses in the country. And, this is another stepping-stone to achieve that," he added.
SUN Mobility's energy infrastructure platform comprises of Smart Batteries that are light-weight, connected, long-life, compact and swappable. The Quick Interchange Stations are compact, easy to install and ensure quick refuelling of electric vehicles and are compatible with multiple vehicle platforms including: 2 and 3 wheelers (e-rickshaws and e-autos). And lastly, the Smart Network (an IoT-based cloud platform) helps keep a constant check on the battery vitals, tracks batteries in real time, enables digital authentication, station operations and ensures service delivery optimization.
