SMEV seeks stringent norms for low speed electric 2 wheelers

In a bid to remove 'fly-by-night' players who import electric two wheelers unlike the domestic ones, members of the Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV) are seeking stringent norms to be levied for low speed two wheeler electric vehicles from Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI).

SMEV, which has players like Hero Electric, Electrotherm, BSA and Ultra, believes the stringent norms would discourage unorganised players from importing cheap vehicles in the market.

"It is because of some unorganised players who simply import electric vehicles that do not comply with Indian road conditions that the organised players tend to lose goodwill in the market. We are, therefore, asking ARAI to make low speed norms more stringent that would remove such 'fly-by-night' players and protect the goodwill of organised players who follow the association's norms diligently," said Naveen Munjal, president of Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV) and managing director of Hero Electric.

The society has also roped in battery manufacturers like Exide and Amara Raja in order to understand the scope of developing batteries for electric two wheelers indigenously. "We understand that manufacturing battery in India would be costlier than importing it from countries like China. However, we have roped in players like Exide and Amara Raja into our society and trying to understand whether there is a possibility of developing these batteries in India rather than importing," said Munjal.

According to Munjal, almost all the domestic electric two wheeler players import batteries from China and other countries. "Almost everyone is currently importing batteries. Moreover, it tends to be cheaper to import than to manufacture here since the infrastructure as well as supply and logistics are better in countries like China than in India," he added. Currently, the electric two wheeler vehicle market in India is as big as 1,20,000 units, Munjal said.